Forged By Fire
by Myra109
Summary: Seamus's dad left him and his mum years ago, but what happens when he comes back? This is Shay's story of abuse, neglect, and his fear of fire. Based somewhat off of the book under the same name, language, abuse, violence, non graphic molestation, depression and some suicidal thoughts, mentions of drugs and sex (nothing graphic, alcoholism
1. Out of the Picture

_AN: This chapter is basically a Seamus Finnegan version of Forged By Fire, but it will start to divert away from the exact story next chapter. It may get a little more similar towards the end, but that's a long way away, so on with the story._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

"Sit down, you worthless boy!" Mommy snapped and he obliged, but it was so hard to sit still in the cart like she wanted. Seamus was fidgety and hyperactive, leading him to constantly want to move but Mommy didn't like that. She said that 'it made the already unbearable job of taking care of him harder.' Seamus had only begun to understand what that meant, and he didn't like it.

He didn't want to be a burden to Mommy or his daddy, but neither of them cared about that. He just was.

So he tried his very best to be good. He stayed in his room when he was told; he didn't touch Mommy's pills or Daddy's weird bottles; he sat as still as he could and obeyed his mommy and daddy.

But he was three, and every three year old got into trouble at one time or another.

He remembered when he touched Mommy's weird metal thingy, uncapping it and watching in amazement as a little flame dancer waved at him inside. Seamus was so fascinated by the little magic he held in his hands (he wouldn't discover true magic until years later, but that's another story) that he didn't notice Mommy coming up behind him, eyes flashing dangerously.

"What the hell are you doing?" She screeched like a banshee, yanking the metal thing out of a startled Seamus's hands. Then, she grabbed one of his pale hands and held the little flame dancer under Shay's palm.

It hurt so, so much! It felt almost as bad as that time Mommy pressed his hand onto the stove because he misbehaved. But this was as close second.

"MOMMY!" He screamed so loud he knew that Ms. Martin, their neighbor, must have heard them. Maybe she could come save him from the fire warrior with his white hot sword, but Ms. Martin didn't run to the door. No one did, not even Adam from across the hall, who like to play war with Seamus and was teaching him how to play chess. He was all alone with this horrible pain.

And then it was gone and Mommy was hugging him. The pain was going away, replaced by Mommy's warm hugs and kisses and I love yous. She never hugged him.

"R-Riley!" Daddy suddenly slurred as he staggered in. "W-Where are you?"

"Momma?" Seamus whispered as his mother suddenly went rigid.

"Shay- Shay, I need you go into the closet and hide. Don't come out until Daddy's gone," Riley O'Connor Finnigan commanded, practically tossing her only son into a closet.

"Mommy?" Seamus whimpered, curling into a ball.

He cried silently as a shadow monster reached for him, threatening to consume him, and he tried to hide in the coats to no avail. The dark swallowed him and more and more scary shadows were reaching for him. The yelling wasn't helping either.

"You bastard! I hate you and that bitch of a child you sired!" Daddy screamed and Seamus heard a sharp slap echo through the apartment.

"I-I'm sorry!" Mommy stammered. "I'll do better, I promise, Sean!"

"Better isn't good enough!" Daddy roared and Seamus flinched as he heard Mommy cry out and a thump.

"Now, go get me some smokes before I do something I regret!" Daddy yelled and the front door slammed.

He covered his ears and closed his eyes against the darkness.

"Please, please, please," he begged, but he knew it was in vain for Daddy's heavy footsteps were stomping towards Seamus's hiding space.

"You think you can hide from me, boy?" The man hissed. "Well, think again!" The closet door was swung open to reveal Sean Finnegan, and Seamus would have gladly welcomed the shadow monsters over Daddy's anger.

"Get out of there!" Daddy snapped and he was yanking him from his safe place and throwing him into a wall, causing pain to ignite in the little boy's back.

"Daddy!" Shay cried, desperately. "Please. I'm sorry!" He wasn't sure what he was apologizing for, but he knew that sorry was the best thing to say.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, you freak!" Daddy screamed, kicking Seamus in the stomach.

"Daddy! No more!" Seamus screamed.

"Shut up!" Daddy shouted. He continued to kick and yell and hit until Seamus couldn't take it anymore.

Seamus didn't know what happened, but one minute Daddy was kicking him and the next the front door was slamming. All Shay could think about was how it was possible to see pretty colors with his eyes closed.

* * *

When Seamus came too, he started to cry. He didn't know where he was and it was way too white. The walls were white; the floor was white; the clothes the people were wearing were white. The air smelled mediciney, like that weird stuff Mommy made him swallow last month because he kept telling her he was hungry. He didn't like that; it made him all tired and he fell asleep for almost a day before he woke up.

"It makes me wanna strangle 'em!" A voice growled. Did the voice mean him? Daddy said that all the time before he wrapped his arms around Mommy's neck. Would these people do that to him?

"I know, but you have to stay quiet. You'll scare him," another voice whispered. "You never really do get used to the bruises and all the signs of neglect."

"What do you mean bruises?" The first voice questioned.

"He's covered in them from his stomach and chest to all over his legs. He looks like he hasn't eaten in days and I'm not sure if they've ever even given the poor kid a bath. So pale, he probably hasn't even been out of the house in months, and if so, it wasn't for very long."

"What about the fire?"

"We really don't know what started it, or if the parents were even home. All we know is that his neighbor, teenage kid named Adam Clark, smelled smoke and ran into the apartment to find it up in flames. The kid was just lying in the entry hall, unconscious, parents no where in sight," the female voice murmured in horror.

"Where is he?" A voice yelled and Seamus felt like bawling. Mommy was mad; would she hurt him? Would he be punished?

"The mother," the female voice spat angrily. "You have more patience with parents. You talk to the mom, and I'll stay with him."

"Okay, but don't mention his mother. We don't want to upset him," the man instructed and footsteps walked away, fading.

"Hey, sweetie," he felt the mattress being lowered as the woman sat on it. "I'm Ms. Thomas, but you can call me Amy. What's your name?"

Seamus didn't respond.

"I bet it's a really cool name."

Silence.

"Tell you what: we'll play a game. You give me hints on your name and I gotta guess it."

Seamus cracked open one eye. He liked games.

"O...kay," he stammered, hesitantly.

Amy clapped her hands quietly. Seamus thought she was real pretty with dark skin and brown hair pulled back in a bun. She wore a white uniform and her eyes were almost black and sparkling.

"Can you give me the first letter?" She asked, her voice like a bell

"S."

"Hmm," Amy tapped her chin in thought. "And you're Irish, judging by the accent?"

Shay didn't really know what an accent was, but he was Irish, so he nodded.

"Sean?" Amy guessed.

Seamus shook his head hurriedly. "That's Daddy's name."

"Oh... is it... Seamus?" She asked and Shay nodded with a toothy grin. She knew his name! Mommy forgot his name a lot, but Amy knew it!

"Shay," Seamus whispered.

For at moment, Amy appeared confused but then her eyes lit up with realization. "You go by Shay?"

Seamus nodded.

"So your Daddy's name is Sean? Do you like living with your Daddy?"

Shay shook his head. "Nu-uh. He don't like me. He hit me and yells at me. He don't like Momma either."

Amy nodded solemnly and for a moment, she seems at a lost for words. Then she suddenly grinned. "You know, I have a son your age."

"You do?" Shay's eyes lit up with curiosity. "What's his name?"

"His name's Dean."

Little did either of them know, Amy Thomas's son would grow up to be Seamus's hero and best friend.

* * *

Seamus didn't have the perfect life from then on, but it was much better than before the fire.

Riley was not charged due to lack of evidence on abuse and neglect from her, but Sean was given time in a drug abuse and alcoholism center, along with eight years for child abuse, physical assault (on Riley) and neglect. The prison time was longer than most child abuse sentences because there are suspicions that Sean started the fire but no one could prove this.

Seamus grew up with a neglectful mother, who cared more about drugs and sex than him, but then again, she never physically hurt him and that was enough for Shay.

Then, Seamus's life really started looking up on his eleventh birthday when an owl brought him a letter sealed with a Hogwarts seal.

* * *

 _I know Shay has an accent, but I really don't know how to write an Irish accent, so just imagine it. Thanks for reading! Please review._


	2. Two Years of Peace

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

 _*SEPTEMBER 1, 1991- SEAMUS'S FIRST YEAR AT HOGWARTS*_

Seamus, dragging his trunk out of the fireplace and brushing ash off his robes, turned around to gape at Platform 9 3/4.

The morning had been an average one. Seamus had rummaged through the cupboards in search for even a morsel of food and finding none as usual. He'd double checked his trunk to ensure that he had all of his belongings and waved at his mother (and being ignored like always) as she strolled out the door in her red, mid-thigh dress and high heals. Probably to another date.

Seamus had dragged his trunk into the fireplace and flooed to King's Cross, where he was now but not even going through his mom's scrapbooks a dozen times could prepare him for the glorious sight.

Families bustled about, dragging cages and trunks in their wake, as they kissed relatives goodbye. Seamus found himself longing for that, but he knew he'd never have it what with his abusive and jailed father and neglectful mother. He'd given up hope of having a loving family long ago.

Anyway, the beauty didn't end with the other witches and wizards, but the train itself was a shiny red that gleamed in the early morning sunlight.

Seamus, almost in a trance, wandered over to the train and pulled his light body and much heavier trunk onto the train. He proceeded to search for an empty compartment.

It didn't take long as he found one not even ten feet away from where he stood. After lugging his trunk onto the rack, he seated himself and nervously tapped his fingers on his leg as he waited for the time to come and he'd be off to heaven and away from hell.

"Can I sit here?" A quiet, shy voice said and Shay turned to see a very familiar looking boy standing in the doorway.

He was tall and thin with dark skin. His hair was black as night and curled itself in a way that would've made it impossible to brush if the boy hadn't kept it cut short, cropped right along his scalp. He wore Muggle clothes- a blue shirt, jeans, and sneakers and he was dragging his trunk behind him. But what startled Seamus most were his eyes- they were almost black, and they looked so familiar like a memory just out of reach.

"Sure," he replied. "I'm Seamus, Seamus Finnigan, but please, call me Shay."

* * *

Dean had had a very eventful month. First, he found out he was a wizard and was going to a Magic School in Scotland to learn spells and Potions and all sorts of cool stuff. Then he'd seen a kid run straight through a solid wall, which should've been impossible. And then he met the kid with the familiar name on the train.

It had taken Dean and his mother a good twenty minutes to find the platform, but once they did, he kissed her goodbye and boarded the locomotive. Most compartments were full, but he found one near the front with only one boy in it, staring at the window.

"Can I sit here?" Dean asked, shyly. He'd always been shy and the teasing hadn't helped his confidence. Classmates had always bullied him for being African American, for being the quiet kid that sat in the back of the room and drew all day instead of going out and watching movies or playing sports. He played football, but that fact was always overlooked due to his obsession with art.

The short boy turned and Dean found himself flinching at the sight. The boy had skin so pale it was almost translucent and some areas bore bruises, but nothing too severe. There were dark bruises under his eyes and his body was thin, his face gaunt. He wore baggy robes and old scuffed shoes that looked like they'd existed for several decades. The only healthy part about him were his eyes: light brown with a strange organish tint, giving it the resemblance to firewood.

"Sure," he replied with a slight Irish accent. "I'm Seamus, Seamus Finnigan. But please, call me Shay."

Why did that name seem so familiar? A very, very distant memory tugged at Dean's mind.

"I'm Dean, Dean Thomas," he greeted, trying to shove the familiarity with that name to the back of his mind for now.

They sat in awkward silence for a moment until Seamus, tired of absolute quiet, finally piped up.

"So... do you like Quidditch?" He asked.

Dean was confused. What on earth was that? Digging in a ditch? Who would even find that enjoyable?

"What's Quit-itch?" He said, trying to form the words with his lips and failing.

Seamus's jaw dropped. "You don't know what Quid- wait, are you Muggleborn?"

Dean nodded mutely.

"That explains it, but in the Wizarding World, it is practically a crime to not know what Quidditch is. Lucky for you, you have a fantastic friend like me to show you the ropes."

And then, Seamus launched into an entire explanation on a sport that is played entirely on broomsticks with colorful disks called Quaffles and a tiny golden ball named the snitch. By the end, Dean was contemplating his love for football over Quidditch.

A friendship was born on that day, one that would save both of their lives or end in ruin.

* * *

Time flew by and Seamus and Dean's bond grew more by the hour. There's a saying at Hogwarts that the first friend you make there will be your best friend for life, and Shay and Dean were unknowingly proving that theory.

Their friendship grew a little during their first lesson when Seamus blew up the classroom. After trying to levitate a feather and managing to set it aflame, the flashback started.

 _He was choking, gasping for air, coughing into his fist as smoke twisted around him in tendrils that threatened to suffocate him._

 _"Mommy! Daddy!" He cried but he knew no one was coming. "Please! Momma!"_

 _Nothing. He was all alone._

 _The world was growing quieter, the crackling of flames and the sound of his own choked breathing fading faster and faster until the world was absolutely silent._

 _His vision was fading too, all the orange and red and yellow that licked at the furniture and curtains until there was nothing left was vanishing._

 _"Please," he whimpered right before his eyes closed and nothing was left, not even the heat of the fire that swirled around him like a hurricane of flames..._

"Mr. Thomas, would you please take Mr. Finnigan to the Hospital Wing?" Professor Flitwick squeaked, sounding exasperated as if he expected Shay to set the feather alight and had done so on purpose.

"Sure, Professor. Come on, Shay." And then Dean was yanking him out of his chair and down the hall, but he only made it to the end of the Charms hall before turning to Shay with concerned eyes.

"What is it, Shay?"

Seamus didn't know why he did it. He'd only known Dean for two days-not even that actually! But he felt safe with him-safer than he ever had with his mom or dad. He hadn't experienced true safely since he'd been in the hospital with that nurse that he couldn't remember the name of and only the barest memory of what she looked like. But he remembered her voice and her way of getting him to the open up without trying. And now he was feeling that again with Dean Thomas.

He broke down. He told him everything from his father's abuse to the fire to his mother's neglect and depression. By the end, tears streamed down his cheeks and there was a voice in his head, telling him to stop, Dean didn't need to know all of this. But he couldn't. After years of having no one, Shay finally found someone that would listen.

Dean listened politely, his expressions going from suprise to anger (although Seamus knew logically that it wasn't directed at him, he still thought that) to sadness to concern.

"It's okay, Shay," Dean whispered, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's over now and he can never hurt you again."

Little did they know...

The times were peaceful for a little while. Dean and Shay were now great friends, maybe even more so than Ron and Harry, which means that they are as close as they could be as friends. They went home for the summer and Shay spent it alone in the house for the most part except for the rare occasions when his mom brought one of her one night stands home (she almost never did that because a lot of them were uncomfortable with her having a kid in the same house).

And then came the end of second year.

"Bye, Dean, I'll write," Shay said as he hugged his best mate goodbye before scurrying off towards the fireplaces.

"Mom, I'm home!" He called as soon as he stopped coughing. She probably wouldn't care,- she might not even be home- but he always did it because it was polite.

Walking into the living room, Seamus stopped in his tracks, his trunk chattering to the ground a couple of millimeters from his toes.

Because there, seated on the couch with Riley beside him, positively glowing with excitement she hadn't possessed in decades, was Seamus's father, Sean Finnigan.


	3. Daddy's Home

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"You!" Seamus breathed, meaning for it to come out in a growl but instead it sounded more like a gasp- a frightened intake of breath. "What... the hell... are you doing here?"

"Your momma is still my wife, and you're still my son, Seamus," Sean said, his eyes reflecting sadness and a glint of irritation, like he couldn't believe that Shay, the child he had abused and left for dead, was accusing him.

"I have never been your son, and you have never been my father! You abused both of us and left me for dead!" Seamus screamed, angrily.

"Watch your tongue, boy," his mother growled. "Your father has changed and he wants us to give him a second chance. We are going to do that, aren't we?" She put emphasis on the last two words, showing that he really had no choice in the matter.

"I've given him dozens of chances," Seamus said, his voice deadly quiet. "Every time he chose to beat me and insult me, I chose to give him another chance and he blew it. I never told anyone; doesn't that show you that I have given him tons of chances that he all wasted?"

"Shay, I beg you to just give me one more chance and I promise you I won't blow it this time. I will get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness if I have to," Sean pleaded, but his eyes, invisible to everyone except Seamus, held a hint of satisfaction at his son's vulnerability and the tears in his brown eyes.

Seamus didn't say anything, nor did he gesture for his father to do the deed he had promised because begging would not make up for all the pain he caused. Turning on his heel, he stormed up to his room and shut the door, wishing to slam it but restraining himself. Showing his anger and emotions to his father would only give the man satisfaction. Shay wasn't about to give it to him.

As soon as he shut the door, Shay leaned against the wood and sank to the carpet in shock.

This couldn't be happening. Hadn't his social worker been smart enough to issue a restraining order or utilizing a law of some sort to keep this... monster away from the people he had victimized?

Tears pooled in his eyes, but they seemed to be incapable of escaping and Shay stared at the phone with watery eyes, contemplating whether he should call Dean.

No, he'd caused enough trouble for his friend by telling him about his dad in the first place, and he didn't want to be a bother. Just because his summer vacation was ruined didn't mean that Dean's had to be due to the fact that he would constantly worry about his best mate.

So Seamus opted to just deal with it, and hope it didn't get as worse as it did last time. Because it couldn't be worse than that... right?

* * *

For the first three weeks, things changed for the Finnigan family, and from an outsider's point of view, the changes might seem good, but Seamus knew otherwise.

His mom stopped sleeping around because she knew that that would anger Sean, and that was the last thing she wanted. She continued to do drugs and drink, but Sean didn't really care about that stuff and that showed how little he'd changed since Shay was three.

Riley got up to cook breakfast and brought home lunch for Sean, often forgetting about feeding her only son but that wasn't any different from before his father had returned. The good news was that Riley actually kept food in the house, but remembering the times when he had raided the pantry as a starving toddler and getting beaten for 'not earning the right to eat,' Shay only snuck food when he could and that wasn't often enough.

Shay tried to stay out of the house as much as he could. He'd finally found a job that would hire a thirteen year old and pay well enough, so he was hitting two birds with one stone: getting out of the house and saving up for school books since it was unlikely his parents would purchase them.

But the thing that had changed the most, or so it seemed at least, was Sean, but Shay knew he was lying. He remembered those times when his Daddy would act all nice and sweet for a day or two and then beat his son worse than the daily hits he delivered. Seamus wasn't gonna fall for it, like his Mom was.

And then came July 14, the day his father finally dropped the nice facade.

Sean came home drunk and his Mom was out, probably talking with Larry about her drug supply being low or out buying liquor. Seamus sat in his room, appreciating the silence of house as he worked on his Transfiguration homework, wondering how people could be so good at the subject and why he was so terrible at it.

"BOY!" A drunken voice roared from downstairs and after all those rages his father took out on him when Shay was only a toddler, the next action was like a second nature to him.

Not thinking about what he was doing or why, Shay dove underneath the bed, blending in with the dark and clutter underneath the mattress and praying that his father was too drunk to remember to check under the bed.

"W-Where aaaare you, y-you little- little freak?!" His father stammered as he staggered into the bedroom. Seamus watched as his boots stomped across the hardwood and he didn't dare move or even breathe.

"I-I know you're hiding from me, you weirdo," Sean growled and he reached down, feeling around underneath the bed while Shay tried to wiggle away from him without making any noice.

'Please, please, please,' he prayed but the inevitable occurred. Sean's hand clamped down on his ankle and yanked Shay from underneath the bed, dragging him into the open.

Before Seamus could even register what was going on, he was being beaten with fists, feet, a belt, and words. Blood was dripping down him is skin and bruises were blossoming all over him. His mind was growing foggy and cloudy- like it was stuffed with cotton.

"You- You bastard!" His father screamed. "G-Going to that- that school for freaks! T-Trying to convince Riley that I'm a b-bad person. Well, guess what? If you tell her about this, she won't b-belieeve you! No one wiiilll," Sean taunted. "Keep your trap shut if you know what's good for you." And then he stormed out.

Seamus lay there, motionless, for several minutes, feeling warm blood trickle down his skin and experiencing horrible pain every time he moved- every time he breathed. It got to the point where he simply held his breath because every time he inhaled or exhaled, pain would flaring up in his chest and ribs.

But what hit the most were the words his father had called him: freak, bastard, pyromaniac, weird, stupid, worthless, you deserve to be dead.

A tear trickled down his face and Seamus attempted and failed to the convince himself that it was just a droplet of blood. He wasn't crying; he didn't believe anything his father had said, but deep down, he knew that wasn't true. Every kid wants their dad to love them, and if their dads don't, many blame themselves for that instead of their fathers, who are the real demons. But for Shay, he'd always believe that if he was better, maybe his daddy would love him, even if he knows that Sean Finnigan is not capable for love or care and never will be.

Bring! Bring! Bring! The phone rang a few feet from where Seamus lay and afraid that it would annoy his father enough for the man to beat him again, he stumbled to his feet and picked up the phone.

"Hello," he choked out, his body erupting in pain as he moved. "Seamus Finnigan speaking."

"Hey, Shay. Are you, um, okay? You sound like you're in pain."

Shay's heart stopped dead in his chest. Dean. He wanted so badly to tell him everything, but he still remembered what happened to Adam when he'd tried to help Seamus all those years ago. He was found by a lady walking her dog, unconscious in an alleyway and littered with injuries ranging from bruises to broken bones. To this day, Adam hasn't told anyone what happened, but Shay knows it was his dad because Adam never came over again; he never tried to help Seamus after that. He couldn't let that happen to Dean, too.

"Oh, no, I'm fine. I got the flu."

"Ooh, sucks to be you, mate. Well, other than the illness, how's your summer going? Sorry, I haven't called. My mom and I just got back from our vacation to Fiji."

"It's cool. My summer's been good, rather boring actually."

"YOU LITTLE FREAK, GET DOWN HERE!" Sean bellowed from downstairs, sounding less drunk but not completely sober.

"Shay, what was that?" Dean sounded alarmed.

"Um, nothing. My mom's just calling me downstairs."

"Shay, that was a man."

"Uh, uh, no, it wasn't, you must have misheard. I have to go; bye, Dean, call you later."

"Shay-"

Before Dean could utter another word of protest, Shay slammed the phone down, and ignoring the pain shooting through his body, ran downstairs to meet his father.

"Yes... um, Father?" Seamus said as he slowed to a halt before a stone faced Sean Finnigan.

A bucket full of soap and water and a rag was shoved unto his arms.

"You will clean his house top to bottom by nine o'clock tonight or another punishment is in order, understood?" Sean growled, a little unsteady on his feet but otherwise, scarily sober.

Seamus was shocked. "But, this house is huge!" After Riley's parents had died, being their only child, she'd inherited their large mansion and while many may consider Shay lucky to be rich, he'd rather live in a dingy apartment full of love and affection than in a mansion filled with hatred and abuse.

Slap! A hand connected with Shay's face, and he resisted the urge to hold his stinging cheek.

"I don't care. Do it or you'll get get a worse beating than before." With that, Sean stomped our, probably to go to the bar.

Shay began in the entrance hall, scrubbing the floors and dusting any surfaces that needed it before moving towards the top floor of the house, one room at a time.

By the time Seamus was done, he was exhausted and dizzy from all of the cleaning chemicals. Dean had called twice, but Shay had ignored the calls in fear of questioning or not getting the house clean in time.

Luckily he did because he finished less than five minutes before his father began to inspect the house.

Finally, he stood before his nervous son.

"Good," Sean said, gruffly. "You will do it all tomorrow, plus the laundry and dishes. If there is a speck of dirt anywhere, punishment. Now, go to your room and I don't want to see your ugly face for the rest of the night."

Shay rushed upstairs and into his bedroom, where he promptly crashed into bed, falling asleep immediately.

And he'd have to do this all again tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that until he returned to Hogwarts- his safe haven.


	4. Home is Where the Heart is

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

 _TWO MONTHS LATER_

Seamus breathed in deeply and smiled when he saw the Hogwarts Express pull into the station, chugging cheerfully and the handful of early risers were grinning contently.

Shay himself had gotten up extra early, double checked his packing, and had scribbled a note for his mom that he had left early. Unfortunately, he had not gotten out the door unscathed.

 _* **FLASHBACK** *_

 _"Where do ya think you're going, boy?" A voice snarled from behind him as Shay approached the fireplace. "Back to that school of freaks?"_

 _Turning around, Seamus inhaled sharply when he saw his father standing there, looking incredibly rageful with a scarlet face and scrunched eyebrows._

 _"They're not freaks, Sir," Shay corrected, as always feeling the need to stick up for his friends._

 _Sean cackled. "Yeah, right! They're all crazies, waving a bunch of bloody sticks and shooting pretty, pretty colors," he stated, cruelly._

 _Shay ground his teeth. "One, they're not weird, sir. Two, those sticks are actually called wands. And three, a lot of those 'pretty colors' hurt real bad... sir."_

 _Sean rolled his eyes. "Who cares? What I'm really here for is one more beating before I lose my punching bag for a few months." The man took a step forward menacingly, but Seamus stood his ground. Backing down was a sign of weakness until it was absolutely necessary to run, and only Shay could determine when it came to that point._

 _Punch! Kick! Slap! Punch, punch, punch! Kick, kick, kick, kick! Crunch!_

 _Seamus gasped in pain as flames erupted in his ribs._

 _Sean just smiled cruelly. "Goodbye... son."_

 _The man pitched his only child through the fireplace and onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters, where Shay, thankfully the only person on the platform, staggered, gasping for oxygen that wasn't there._

 _"Ow," he mumbled before straightening up as best he could, deciding he could fix his ribs on the train. Shay had been looking up healing spells and glamour charms that would help him hide the abuse; he would not have another Adam incident._

 ** _*FLASHBACK OVER*_**

Students and families had shown up in the past fifteen minutes, albeit very few, and the train was finally pulling in, making Shay grateful for the opportunity to fix his aching ribs and escape the hell he called home.

No, he didn't call that house his home, just hell. Hogwarts was his home, and it probably would be until graduation. Dean was here and safety and comfort and everything the Finnigan household didn't have.

Boarding the train, Shay waved his wand over his ribcage and sighed as the pain was eased before casting a glamour over his injuries that weren't hidden by his clothes.

Most of them were. Shay was wearing a pair of suffocating Gryffindor robes with long sleeves and pants that covered every bit of his legs. His socks concealed the bruises on his ankles and his high collar hid the bruises and the cut or two on his neck. The only thing he needed to conceal were the bruises and scar (stretching across his forehead from when Sean threw his down the stairs) on his face.

Shay seated himself in a compartment and gazed our the window, relieved to finally be returning to Hogwarts.

"SHAY!" A familiar voice cheered as Dean slid open the door and practically tackled his best mate, who yelped in suprise.

Dean immediately frowned. That was weird; was Shay always this thin?

He was sure he wasn't. Shay had always been on the scrawny side, but now, Dean could feel his ribs through his too baggy shirt. And his skin felt weird too- like it was covered in something like calloused or scratches maybe, but he didn't see any, so he let that slide. But Shay's weight loss and skin that was paler than Harry's, who was as pale as snow, were worrying.

His clothes were weird too- winter robes with a long sleeved shirt and long pants.

"Shay, are you okay?" Dean asked, concerned.

"Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?" That was strange; the statement sounded like Shay had rehearsed it a thousand times.

"Shay, I'm serious. What the mat-"

"Hey, guys!" Ron waved as he, Harry and Hermione strolled into the compartment, followed closely by Neville, Ginny, and Luna, all dragging heavy trunks.

"Hi," Seamus said, happy for the diversion. He knew he couldn't avoid the interrogation all together, but he could stall long enough to come up with a good story that would answer all of Dean's questions. Such as... why have you been ignoring me; why are you so bony; why are you wearing winter clothing, etc., etc., etc.

"So, guys, what's up?" Harry grinned, happy to be going back at Hogwarts and away from the Dursleys. "How were all your summers?"

"Mine was great!" Ron cheered. "My brother, Charlie, came home from Romania and Bill visited from Egypt for a few weeks. First time the whole family's been together since... when was it, Gin?"

"Well, that depends. After your first year, we went to Egypt together, but Charlie only stayed for a day and a half, so I really wouldn't count it. Probably the last time we'd all been together for more than a week was Bill's graduation," the twelve year old explained, shrugging to show that this was just a guess.

"What she said," Ron agreed and Ginny rolled her eyes. "What about you, Hermione?"

"I went skiing with my parents in Denver, Colorado. Cold, but amazing," Hermione smiled. "What about you, Neville?"

"Oh, um, I-I didn't do much. Just-just, um, stayed home, saw a few of my cousins, but that's about it," the third year stammered. "Um, Luna, how bout you?"

"Oh, I had a magnificent time hunting Nargles. Daddy and I found so many down by the river near our house and in the woods a few towns over. On top of that, the Quibbler is really taking off. Want a copy?" Luna said, dreamily, withdrawing a stack of magazines from her over the shoulder bag.

"Sure, Luna," Shay smiled, taking a copy and Neville followed while the others politely declined. Harry, Ron, and Dean because they barely understood a word of it and Hermione because she couldn't deal with all of that 'factual nonsense,' as she put it.

"What about you, Dean?" Luna whispered, her voice soft.

"My Mum and I went in a trip to Fiji. It was so beautiful there," Dean exclaimed. "Shay?"

"Oh, I didn't do much," Shay said with a shrug. "Sat around at home, caught up with some family I haven't seen in a while."

"Who?" Harry asked, curiously.

"My uncle. I haven't seen him since before Hogwarts because his job keeps him out of the country, so yeah, that was nice, " Shay lied. Don't tell them about your father; they'll all get suspicious, and Dean will get worried.

"Well, that's great," Hermione grinned. "Are you guys looking forward to school?"

"Heck yeah!" Seamus laughed. "I love my mom, but it's so boring just sitting at home."

"What about your dad? You've only ever told us he was a Muggle; what's he like?" Harry asked, wistfully, wishing he had a dad like his mates.

Dean glared at him, trying to tell him that he was in uncharted territory, but Shay didn't seem bothered by it.

But, truthfully, he was. Talking about his dad reminded him of the fire and the insults and the beatings, but he knew not answering would make them suspicious and maybe telling them some of it would lesson the burden a little.

"Um, my dad... left... several years ago," Shay responded, deciding not to tell them about the past abuse or his dad being locked up for nearly a decade in prison or treatment facilities for alcoholism and drug abuse. "I saw him over the summer." Shay mentally kicked himself; he hadn't meant to say that! Damn you, mouth, why can't you just shut yourself up?!

Dean's head whipped around to face him. "What? You never told me that."

Shay shrugged. "It wasn't that important. He stopped by because he found out him and my mum were still legally married since they'd never filed their divorce officially. He came to get the divorce and custody finalized and then he left. Nothing more, nothing less."

"You sure?" Dean asked, cautiously, and the others looked at him before glancing at Shay. The friends were acting weird; was there something the weren't telling the others?

Shay nodded. "I'm sure, Dean."

Neville frowned. His dad couldn't take care of him because of the whole insanity thing and he took that real hard, but he couldn't imagine how he'd take it if his dad had deliberately left him.

Harry was having similar thoughts, unsure of whether he should pity his friend or relate to him or what? He had the Weasleys, but could they replace the family he'd lost with his parents? No, no matter how much he wanted to think of them as his true family, they could never replace the Mum and Dad he never knew. Did Seamus have someone like that- someone ro talk to? Then again, Seamus never had to deal with the Dursleys and their verbal abuse and neglect and the way they starved him. Little did Harry know...

Hermione just sighed. She hated how common it was for a parent to leave their child nowadays, but she couldn't do much about it, other than try to be there for Shay. But he seemed to be taking it fine, but was he? Was he actually okay? Or was it a facade?

Ron and Ginny were shocked at how such a cheerful and witty boy could have such a dark past that no one knew about. They were both suddenly thankful to be poor because at least they had food on the table and a family that cared about them, unlike Seamus and Harry.

Luna frowned, uncharacteristically. It was depressing how many praeter daemones were flying around the boy (I made this up: The explanation is at the bottom).

And Dean was frightened. He was the only one that knew the truth about Shay's father, how he'd abused his only son. Did he hurt Shay like he did when he was three? Is that why Shay was so thin and looked so fragile?

"Sorry I asked," Harry apologized.

Shay smiled, albeit a bit sadly. "It's fine. You didn't know."

"Sooo... what are you looking forward to the most?" Ron asked, trying to break the awkward silence that descended upon them.

"I'm looking most forward to the electives. There are so many," Hermione gushed.

"Hey, guys?" Shay suddenly said. "I'm gonna get some sleep, if you don't mind."

"No, go right ahead," Dean rushed to tell him. His friend looked like he needed sleep and a lot of it.

"Thanks." Shay leaned against the window, and having been kept awake for three days as 'punishment', was out like a light.

"Is he okay?" Hermione asked Dean, concerned. "Had he told you anything?"

Dean shook his head. "No, but I think it has something to do with his dad. "

"Why?" Ron questioned. "Shouldn't he be happy to see his dad for the first time in years?"

Dean looked down at his lap. Should he tell them? Shay wouldn't want him too, but the only way they could help was if they knew the whole story.

"No. Shay didn't tell you this, but his dad's been in prison for years for child abuse, domestic abuse, and possible arson," Dean explained.

The group went silent until finally...

"You don't think his dad hurt him, do you?" Ginny asked.

Dean shrugged before deciding that there was a way to check. Shay slept like the dead, so if no one told him, he'd never know.

"I can check, but don't tell Shay I invaded his privacy," Dean stated before rolling up Shay's sleeve and a collective gasp was heard.

On Shay's wrist was a bruise in the shape of a handprint.

* * *

praeter daemones: basically means past demons in Latin


	5. The Little Pyromaniac

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

Something was very wrong with Mr. Finnigan. Minerva McGonagall knew this as soon as the little pyromaniac stepped into her classroom on Monday morning, followed closely by a concerned looking Dean Thomas.

He had lost a considerable amount of weight since June, resembling a skeleton whether than a scrawny boy that had yet to hit his growth spurt. He was wearing winter clothes, robes that fell past his fingertips and pants and socks that covered every inch of his legs and a shirt with a high collar, hiding his neck. Falling into his eyes, his hair was long and shaggy like he hadn't had a haircut in a year or two and it had grown all the way down his neck, making him look kind of like a girl. But what worried her the most were the glamour charms.

Being a teacher, she had been taught to sense magic on a student, particularly spells that could suggest something was going on. This included glamours because it was not uncommon for students to use glamours and self Transfiguration to hide abuse and self harm.

She concentrated on seeing through the glamour, and her gray eyes widened to the point of it appearing comical. But what she saw was in no way funny.

The boy's face was covered in bruises, including one on his cheek in the shape of a handprint. Scratches covered his cheekbones like someone's rings had cut deep into his face. His lip was split and his nose was slightly crooked like it had been broken and healed horribly. There was a scar across his forehead from temple to where it disappeared beneath his hairline.

"Alright, class, we are going to do a bit of individual work for the beginning of class. Open your books to page 39 and read through chapter one. We will discuss it afterward and maybe get the chance to practice the process of self Transfiguration."

The class looked slightly shocked on how easy today's class sounded, but they obeyed, flipping open their books to the correct page and beginning to read.

"Mr. Finnigan, may I see you in the hallway?" She asked and the boy, looking quite confused, seeing as he had not blown up one thing yet, nodded and allowed himself to be escorted into the hall.

"Mr. Finnigan, would you care to explain why you are wearing a glamour charm?" She sighed and the boy's eyes widened.

"How did you know?" He gasped.

McGonagall smiled, slightly, but it was more in a comforting way than in an oh-that's-funny way. "Mr. Finnigan, as a teacher, I am required to learn how to sense glamours and recognize self Transfiguration, along with other spells. I am also required to learn how to see through them."

Seamus's face went white when he realized where she was going. "It-It's really nothing, Professor."

Minerva mentally rolled her eyes, but in order to not appear immature, she just gave him a look of disbelief. "Really, Mr. Finnigan? Cuts, bruises, and a rather worrying scar are nothing?"

"I fell down the stairs, Professor, and used a glamour to avoid having to explain it a dozen times," Shay explained.

It was a believable excuse, but Minerva had heard the same excuse from almost every abused child she'd encountered in both her teaching career and her time as a student. "I doubt that, Mr. Finnigan."

Seamus stood there, defiantly, refusing to state the truth.

She leaned a little closer to him and said, softly, in a comforting way, "Seamus, if someone is hurting you, you can talk to me, or anyone else for that matter. We can help."

Yeah, right! Seamus thought. 'Like anyone can help me in this situation.'

"I'm sorry, Professor, but you're mistaken. No one is hurting me," Shay stated firmly.

Minerva sighed. She couldn't make him tell her, but she could speak with Albus about this.

* * *

"Come in!" Albus Dumbledore called when someone knocked upon his door.

The door opened and in stepped Minerva McGonagall.

"Albus," she said immediately, sounding rather worried about something. "I need to discuss an urgent matter with you."

"Yes, Minerva?"

"I believe," she bit her lip, "that Mr. Finnigan is being abused."

Albus dropped his quill, looking up in absolute shock. "Why do you suspect that?"

"He was glamour charms in my class today and I looked beyond them and saw everything from bruises to cuts to scars. His nose looks like it's been broken and healed incorrectly. What do you think, Albus?"

"Did you talk to him about it?" Albus asked, worried for his student.

"Yes! I tried to get him to talk to the me, but whoever's hurting him has a firm grip on him. He wouldn't tell me a thing," Minerva said, concern rippling through her for that funny, friendly Gryffindor, who was only thirteen and had experienced the hatred of the world, firsthand.

"Well, we can't do anything about it until Seamus tells someone or we have concrete evidence to suggest that abuse is going on in Mr. Finnigan's life," Albus explained.

"I know, Albus, but we can't just allow the abuse to continue until Seamus ends like little Lucy Scargoil," Minerva pointed out, her heart constricting at the memory of the abused girl that was killed by her parents right before her third year was due to start.

Albus sighed. "I know, Minerva, and there are other ways to get the evidence needed to get Seamus out of this situation. For example, we could ask his friends to see if there is any suspicious activity going on. And Seamus will come to the hospital wing at some point (every student does) and if Poppy finds something that could suggest abuse, we can report it to the Department of Child Services and Abuse Victims. But until we find evidence, the most we can do is simply watch out for Mr. Finnigan."

Minerva looked at her lap. "We really should change that whole report policy. What if we find evidence too late and the child dies, just like Lucy."

Albus nodded. "I agree, Minerva, but I can assure you that Mr. Finnigan will not be like Lucy."

Minerva nodded and left, quickly, stopping at the display case just outside Albus's office.

In the display case, on the second shelf, was a picture of a girl with light brown hair and dancing green eyes, wearing Hufflepuff robes. Below the picture read the words 'Rest in Peace, Lucy Scargoil. May the truth set you free.'

"I only pray that Mr. Finnigan will tell the truth, unlike you, Lucy, " Minerva whispered, remembering one of her favorite students, one that hadn't even been in Gryffindor.

* * *

"Mr. Thomas, would you please stay after class?" McGonagall called after the Muggleborn boy, who was standing side by side with the reason of this visit himself. "Mr. Finnigan, you may go."

Looking rather suspicious, Seamus let his best mate in the Transfiguration classroom and Dean approached her desk.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Mr. Thomas, have you noticed anything strange going on with Mr. Finnigan since the return to school?" Minerva questioned.

Dean looked torn for a moment before he opened his mouth and everything came pouring out before he could stop it or edit it in anyway.

"Well, he looks really thin and I've noticed some bruises, including one on his wrist in that shape of a handprint. He's also really quiet compared to his usual talkative self."

McGonagall nodded. "I've noticed these things as well. Do you know what might be causing it?"

"Well," Dean shuffled his feet. Shay was going to hate him for this. "One the train ride, he mentioned that his dad had visited him over the summer. Shay's father was arrested for abuse, neglect, and suspected arson when Seamus was three, and and he hasn't seen him since. But then he mentioned that his dad came to visit to settle some divorce and custody problems, yet over the summer, I called Shay and I heard a man yelling in the background. As far as I know, Shay's mother is single, and when I asked him about it, he lied, saying it was his mom when it was clearly a man. I don't know what it is, but something's wrong."

"I agree, Mr. Thomas. I am trying to get to the bottom of this, and please, come to me if you find out anything else. If someone is hurting Seamus, I want to get him out of the situation as soon as possible."

Dean nodded and left.

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Minerva sighed, her head spinning with all this new information.

Abuse.

Neglect.

Father.

Prison.

Suspected arson.

In the beginning, this concern for Seamus had been a suspicion, and little more, but now...

It looks like the little pyromaniac was in more danger than they originally thought.


	6. We're your friends!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

"Seamus, I am one of the smartest kids in this school and I'm not saying that to brag or to sound pompous, but we both know it's true. And that means that I am not stupid; I know something is very, very wrong with your home life at the moment, and if you think you can hide that from me, you are mistaken."

Seamus sighed. Why couldn't she just leave him alone?

"Hermione, please, nothing is wrong. I just got into a fight with some Muggle kids near my house, a one time thing."

The brown eyed witch rolled her eyes. "Seamus, like I said, I am not stupid. Those bruises you have... some are weeks old and others couldn't have been made more than a couple of days ago."

"Hermione, please. We both know I'm clumsy and I'll admit, I don't live in the best neighborhood, so why don't you let it go?"

"No, Seamus, I won't let it go because I am your friend and I don't want anything bad to happen to you!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Nothing bad will happen to me, Hermione!" Seamus snapped. "Nothing bad is happening to me! Why are you so concerned all of a sudden about my well being?"

"Shay, you've never given me a reason to be concerned into now. Suddenly, you're covered in bruises; thin as a stick; and look like you haven't seen the sun in months. On top of that, you never eat anymore and you don't sleep as much as you should, staying up for days and then, when you do sleep, you have night terrors that wake all of Gryffindor Tower," Hermione pointed out.

"I. Am. Fine, Hermione. For the last time!" Seamus shouted, drawing quite a lot of unwanted attention and a suprised stare from Hermione.

Embarrassed by his outburst and fed up with Hermione's pestering, Seamus stood, gathered his books, and stormed out of the library.

* * *

"Um, hey," Ron said, awkwardly as he walked into the dorm room to find Seamus Finnigan reading his Transfiguration book.

That's weird, Ron thought. Seamus never studies.

But Shay was remembering what his dad had told him before leaving for Hogwarts: "I'm allowing you to go to that freak school; the least thing you can do is being home good grades. I better not see anything below an EE on your report card or there'll be hell to pay."

Seamus knew he couldn't stop the beatings entirely, but there were things he could do to make the beatings less frequently and sometimes less painful.

"What are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be down at lunch?" Ron asked, sitting on Dean's bed across from Seamus's.

"Shouldn't you?" Shay retorted but stopped. Damn, why was he so snappy today? "Sorry, that came out rude. I'm just not very hungry."

"You should still try to eat. You're stick thin and this not eating is not gonna help that," Ron said with a weak smile.

Seamus shrugged. "I was really sick over the summer, and now, food just doesn't have the same appeal as it did," Shay lied. Truthfully, his stomach had shrunk from all the days his dad made him go days without food. Shay had learned the hard way that eating too much too fast after hardly eating anything at all for so long didn't settle well with his stomach.

"Ooh, bad luck, mate," Ron winced. "What were you sick with?"

"Really bad case of the flu. Lasted almost two weeks. I'm just glad it went away before I came back to Hogwarts."

They lapsed into uncomfortable silence until finally Ron had to break it.

"Why did you yell at Hermione in the library today?" Ron asked, quietly.

Shay shrugged. "She was pestering me about everything from my sleeping and eating habits to my bruises, which if I recall, I have explained to her more than enough times."

"Still," Ron trailed off, knowing he was treading on dangerous ground. One misstep and then, the explosion. "She's just worried. I mean I know she can be a mother hen sometimes, but you're certainly giving her a reason to worry."

"Well, I'm fine, Ron, and you can tell her that," Shay said, firmly.

Ron's temper flared at the fact that Seamus wasn't even telling him what was wrong, and worse, he wasn't even going to apologize to Hermione for blowing up at her earlier. "No, you're not. You are going to tell Hermione that and apologize to her," Ron ordered.

"I will not apologize to her. She was pestering me, so if she would have just listened to me and left me alone, we'd both be okay," Seamus growled.

Ron's face went beat red with rage. "Why are you such a jerk all of a sudden? Something obviously happened over the summer, and you know what? Maybe you deserved those bruises! You're being a bloody prat, so stop it with the pity party and if you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from everyone because one more toe out of line, especially where my friends are concerned, and I will punch your lights out!"

Ron turned and stormed out the room.

Shay sighed, fighting down his tears at being left alone to deal with his demons.

'If you isolate yourself, no one will find out and they won't get hurt like Adam did," a voice pointed out in the back of his mind.

'I don't want to be alone,' Seamus thought. 'Please don't leave me. I just don't want you to get hurt.'

But, logically, he knew if his dad took a beating too far one day, everyone would be hurt.

That didn't stop him from thinking that maybe they wouldn't.

* * *

"Hey, Seamus," Harry greeted. "I-I saw Ron storm out. What happened?"

"He and Hermione are just bugging me," Shay responded, not meeting Harry's emerald orbs.

"About your... situation?"

Seamus looked at him in confusion.

"Dean told us about your Dad. He came back, didn't he? To stay?" Harry clarified, putting emphasis on the last two words to show his meaning, clearly.

"No, where did you get that idea from?" Shay said, immediately defensive. Harry couldn't know; that put him in danger!

The Boy Who Lived sighed. "Shay, I know the signs. The Dursleys neglected me for years and they still do. You show signs of being neglected and abused and it doesn't take Hermione level genius to make the connection between those sudden signs and your dad 'visiting' over the summer."

For a moment, Seamus didn't say anything and neither did Harry.

Finally, Shay whispered, "Harry... our situations are different. You wish you had your Mum and Dad back, but me? I wish I didn't have a mom and dad, and that sounds so horrible."

"I understand, Shay," Harry stated, softly. "When you think about it, we're really not that different. I want my Mom and Dad back because the Dursleys hate me more than Snape hates Gryffindors."

Seamus snorted. "Probably equal on that one. I don't think Snape could like Gryffindors any less."

The raven haired boy laughed. "Good point. But my point is is that I don't think that you don't want parents. You just want parents that care."

Seamus didn't respond.

"Shay," Harry sighed. "I'm not gonna pester you about it because Merlin knows how much I hate when Hermione and Ron do just that. But just so you know, it doesn't help to bottle everything inside. It really only makes it worse."

Harry stood and left the dorm room, shutting the door behind him and leaving Seamus Finnigan with a lot to think about.

* * *

"Shay?"

"Tell me you're the last one!"

"Huh?" He asked, looking rather perplexed.

"I've already had visits from Hermione, Ron, and Harry. Tell me you're last?"

He laughed. "No promises, Shay. But, you know, if you just told them what was bothering you, they wouldn't have to badger you like this."

"That's the thing: there's nothing wrong!"

"Shay, I've been your best mate since first year. I know when something's bugging you."

Shay looked away, sniffling. "Maybe something is, but no one's hurting me. It's just... I saw my dad for the first time in almost a decade this summer, and I'm just having a hard time dealing with that. "

"It's more than that, Shay. The bruises, your insomnia, night terrors, and your lack of appetite... it doesn't add up to it being only because of this visit from your dad. I know you, Shay, and you're always so verbose and excited, and you move on from things. You never dwell on things for long, so why is this any different?"

"It just is!" Seamus burst out. "I'm sorry, but it is and you don't understand! I know about your dad, but he never physically hurt you and left you for dead! And to see him after all these years... would you move on from that so easily?"

For a moment, the boy said nothing. He'd give anything to meet his dad just once, but would he forgive and forget? He may never know.

"I'm really not sure, Shay. In your position, probably not, but I know that that's not it. "

"Get out."

"Shay-"

"Get out, Dean! Please!"

Dean nodded, turned on his heel, and left his friend, sitting on his bed, staring at the wall with tears in his eyes.

'I'm sorry, Dean,' he thought. 'I'm so sorry.'


	7. Cherish you friends

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

What best mates don't fight? Raise your hand if you have had more than one spat with your best friend because I just know have!

Yet, Seamus Finnigan had never had one fight with Dean Thomas in the two years they had been friends. In their third year though, that record ended.

"Shay, I could help you if you could just tell me what was wrong!" Dean screamed, his voice carrying down into the Gryffindor Common Room, which was far too quiet for a Friday night.

"There is nothing wrong, Dean. Now leave me alone!" Seamus shouted. His anger had escalated to the point where his Irish accent was stronger than ever, to the point where they almost couldn't understand him.

"There is something wrong, Seamus Finnigan! Don't try to tell me any different!"

"Can't you have some faith in me? Don't you think I would know if something was the matter with me?!" Seamus's voice had reached such a loud volume that in the dungeons, Slytherins looked around in confusion for the row that was occurring.

"You've been acting weird ever since you returned to Hogwarts!" Dean yelled. "You tell us it's because of your dad, but Shay, I know it's more than that!"

"It is not, Dean! Me Mam and me Dad have nothing to do with my behavior, except for when me Dad came to visit over the summer! That is all, Dean!"

"It is not. You're not one to hang on to something like this for so long!"

"What would you know?! You don't even have a dad!"

That was a low blow, and everyone knew it, including Shay. He hadn't meant to say it; it just slipped out and now, Dean, his best mate, was glaring at him with a stare that would make Voldemort cower in fear.

"Fuck you," Dean growled.

"Dean, I didn't mean it! I'm sorry! Please, come back!"

Dean and Seamus came rushing down the stairs, Dean stomping loudly on the staircase while Seamus bolted after him, desperately.

"Dean, I'm sorry!" Shay cried. "I-I didn't mean it. Please..."

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Finnigan," Dean said, his voice flat and lifeless. Seamus would've preferred if he was yelling. "That was below the belt."

"I know and... and I'm sorry."

Seamus was on the verge of tears. He couldn't believe he'd just said that! He sounded so much like his dad it scared him.

" _You little bitch, why aren't you cleaning?! It's not like you have any friends to do anything else with!"_

 _"Stop crying already! Nobody cares, not even your mother!"_

 _"I wish you weren't my son."_

"Dean, please... I-I'm sorry."

"Goodbye, take your pity party elsewhere and do me a favor and don't invite me," Dean stated before walking in the direction of a shocked Hermione, a rageful, red faced Ron, and a seething Harry.

Shay, not even thinking about what he was doing, turning and sprinted through the portrait hole, only sobbing more when someone nailed him in the back of the head with a balled up piece of paper while they shouted, "Jerk!"

Seamus didn't stop racing until he was gasping for breath beside a wooden door in an empty corridor on the second floor. A plaque beside the door read 'Girls Bathroom.' Under the inscription and on the door itself were the words 'Moaning Mytle' in green spray paint.

Shay knew about Moaning Myrtle and was relieved to have stopped outside here, whether than anywhere else. No one ever came in here, which meant he would be all alone. Except for Myrtle, but he wasn't going to count, she wouldn't badger him like the others.

Myrtle wasn't in there at the time, so Shay, feeling tears fill his eyes, slowly took off his robes and shirt, revealing his skin, which resembled a horrible work of art.

Bruises painted almost every available patch of skin, turning his normally pale skin tone into a blended work of blue, black, purple, yellow, and light brown. Healing cuts and scars danced across his chest and drew thin lines all over his stomach, standing out in red and white swirls among the other colors. Welts streaked across his back from his dad's belt, tying up the injuries into a terrible and awfully artistic canvas.

"What happened to you?" A soft voice gasped and Shay spun around to face the intruder.

It was a translucent girl with dark pigtails and wire rimmed glasses that made her blue eyes looked huge. She wore Ravenclaw robes and her face was set in an expression of horror and shock.

"Um, nothing, Myrtle," Shay responded, throwing his shirt back on in the blink of an eye.

Myrtle shrugged, deciding not to push it, and changed subjects. "What are you doing in here? Are you here to visit me?" She sounded so excited.

Seamus sat down on the tile floor and looked up at her. "I needed to get away for a while. We can talk if you want?"

Myrtle nodded, excited yet curious, as she floated down to the floor and sat across from him. "What are you getting away from?"

Shay shrugged. "My mate and I had a fight. I said something I shouldn't have and... well, it only takes one brick to being the castle down."

"Why don't you apologize?"

"I tried, but it doesn't even come close to making up for it, " Shay whispered, hoarsely.

"Well, actions speak louder than words. Try doing something to make him forgive you. What were you fighting about?"

"Um, well, he was concerned for me because I haven't been sleeping well or eating much and he saw those bruises. He wanted the truth, but I couldn't give it to him. He didn't take that well."

"Well, why don't you tell him the truth?" Myrtle asked, curiously. "What could be so bad that you can't tell your best mate? You should cherish them. People like me didn't have many of those."

Seamus frowned. "How come?"

Myrtle simply shrugged her shoulders. "I never really fit in at my primary school. I wore glasses and my teeth were crooked and I was really, really smart. I was kind of socially awkward and nobody really liked me because I was different."

"Did you have any friends?" Shay whispered.

Myrtle smiled softly. "I had one. Her name was Ella Myers, and we were friends until I went to Hogwarts. I wanted to tell her about the school, but I couldn't. I just told her I was going to boarding school, but Ella could read me like a book. She knew I wasn't telling the whole truth.

"She yelled at me, why was I lying to her. And I told her I had a good reason. We got into a huge row and finally, she stormed away and even when I came back that summer, she didn't talk to me. Not at all.

"I didn't have many friends at Hogwarts either. Everyone made fun of me, and pushed me around and just all around hated me all because I was different.

"I was in the bathroom crying because someone made fun of my new glasses, and then just heard a sound. A boy in the girls bathroom. I opened the stall door to tell him to go away and I saw... a huge pair of glowing eyes and then, I died.

"I haunted the people that made fun of me. Some of them nearly went crazy," Myrtle giggled, but there was little humor to it. Only bitterness and satisfaction.

"Myrtle," Seamus began cautiously, "why don't you move on? I can understand you haunting those people that made fun of you, but they're all gone... graduated, maybe even dead, so why do you stick around?"

Myrtle smiled. "That is the one question no one has ever asked me. I stick around because it's want to be there for kids like me: the friendless, bullied, hurting kids that no one really gives a damn about. Because all I needed was someone to care about me and maybe I wouldn't have been in here crying when I died. An incident like that shouldn't even happen once, much less more than that. Don't you agree?"

Seamus nodded. It did make sense and it was quite selfless to give up a life in the afterlife beyond this world to save other kids like you.

Ding, dong! Ding, dong!

"Shit," Seamus cursed. "It's midnight, already? I best be getting back, Myrtle. I promise I'll come back tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Myrtle said with a small smile. This boy wasn't like Harry Potter or Draco Malfoy; he was different from anyone she'd ever met.

Could she have just made her first true friend besides Ella?

She had.

* * *

Shay sprinted through the halls and hopped through the portrait hole to find the common room vacant of life.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he leaped into bed and laid his head on the pillow.

Causing one more glance at Dean's bed, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Dean. I really am."

He didn't notice one lone figure sitting up in bed, watching him, listening to Shay's quiet cries because Shay may have lost his best friend tonight.

And that figure knew that nothing would ever be the same.

* * *

 _the figure can be anyone because it really doesn't matter who it is. It's just to show that it's obvious things have changed drastically in everyone's eyes. Thank you_


	8. Letters and Voices

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

 _Time skip to three days before Christmas Break_

Seamus hadn't spoken to Dean or any of his dorm mates since that row almost two months ago. He'd been working on ways to apologize, but he discovered that he was severely sleep deprived to the point where when he spoke, his words came out jumbled, slurred, and sometimes in the wrong order.

Shay wasn't doing any better than two months ago; if anything, he was doing worse.

His eating habits had dropped off even more. Instead of eating very small portions at three meals a day, he would go days without eating and only ate something small when he did eat. He'd learned that eating an average sized meal caused him to throw it up later and his appetite was so small, even a doll sized meal every three days made his stomach hurt.

Meanwhile, his sleep was worse than ever. Shay would go days without sleeping, going to bed at nine and laying in bed until four AM wide awake before getting up to do his homework. When he did sleep, his night terrors were horrifying and he honestly preferred to never sleep than to deal with those when he did.

Then, there were his grades. He did every homework assignment and studied for hours on end, but his concentration was practically nonexistent by now. His grades were slipping from O's and EE's to almost all D's. The only class he had an O in was one of his extra-curricular subjects, Journalism. Shay found that while not very good at magic, he was great at writing anything from stories to poems to songs.

But his father wouldn't care about that single O because the rest were dreadfuls and Shay knew he was in for it when he received the Letter.

Before I continue, letters can be sent two ways at Hogwarts. There was the way of sending them by Owl of course, but there was also, Mailing for Muggle Parents of Students, or MMPS. Muggle parents often struggle with the owl mailing process as it is entirely new to them and therefore, they could simply use a quill, provided to each and every family with their child's Hogwarts letter, to write their child's name. The school will detect the quill and the letter will appear in the child's mailbox in the Owlery.

Alright, long, boring explanation moment over. Moving on with the story.

Shay reached into his mailbox and retrieved a single letter in a crisp white envelope with the words 'Seamus Finnigan' written in green ink.

Opening the letter, he froze in his slightly relaxed state (Shay almost never relaxed anymore and when he did, it was only slightly) when he saw the handwriting.

The letter was short and demanding, written in slightly sloppy handwriting that had obviously not been spell or grammer checked. After scanning the letter in shock for several moments, he finally made out something like this:

' _Boy,_

 _You will come home for the Christmas holidays. No questions; no complaints. Just do it.'_

It was unsigned, but Shay knew who it was from.

His father wanted him home and not for the reasons most children's parents want their kids home.

Shay knew he was in for it.

His father had only sent him one letter before and it was when he was nine to tell him that he blames his son for getting locked up in jail. In a way, this was even worse.

Shay spun on his heel and raced in the direction of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

He and Myrtle had become good friends since his row with Dean and he visited her every single day. When he had a problem, he went to the female ghost for advice and someone to vent to and in return, Seamus had learned more about the ghost than he'd learned about anyone else, even Dean.

"Myrtle?" He called as he burst into the room, nearly hyperventilating with terror. "Are you here?"

"Shay, what happened?" A high pitched voice asked as Myrtle appeared, seating her transparent form upon the sinks and facing him, looking concerned.

"M-My dad," he stammeted, holding up the letter. After a month or so of talking, Shay had finally told Myrtle after she had promised not to tell another soul-living or dead. So far, she'd kept that promise. "H-He wants me home for Christmasl"

"Are you gonna go?" Myrtle questioned, looking oddly calm, but he could see the worry in her blue eyes.

Seamus shrugged. "What choice do I have? If I go, he'll beat me, sure. There's no escaping that, but if I don't go... when summer comes around, it'll only be worse."

"Maybe you could talk to the Headmaster," Myrtle suggested.

Shay shook his head. "We've been over this, Myrtle. My dad knew that Adam was thinking of telling and he nearly killed him; he hadn't technically told anyone yet! Could you imagine what my dad would do to get back at me for telling? My mom, sure, she's not a model parent- far from it- but I don't want her dead or close to it! And if he gets his hands on Dean or Harry or any of the others, I don't think I'll be able to deal with that." His voice broke.

Myrtle frowned; she hated seeing her new friend so sad, so broken, like this. "Shay, it's gonna be okay. If you tell, he'll go to jail and he can't bother anyone again."

"Myrtle, he got out once," Shay cried on the verge of tears. "And he's been hurting me since. If he can do these things to his own son, imagine what he'll do to complete strangers! I can't tell. I-I'm gonna go to home; I-I'll keep Dean on speed dial and call if things get out of hand. Okay?"

"Okay, Shay, but please, just... take what I said into consideration. When are you leaving?"

"Christmas break is a three days away. I'll start packing soon- today or tomorrow- but I'll try to make sure I visit as soon as I get back, okay, M?"

Myrtle sighed. She knew she wouldn't be able to convince Shay to tell. "Okay, Shay, be safe."

Shay nodded and turned to leave, shutting the door quietly behind him.

* * *

His world was a spinning, jumbled up mess and he had no order to the chaos around him. Shay had never been a neat freak, but he'd always kept his life farily organized from his homework being in a specific place to making his bed every morning.

But now, his life was in a landslide, tumbling down on him before he could even stop it. As the walls of his palace come crashing down around him, he stands in the center of it all, weakening with each minute.

How could he stop it?

His dad coming back... one section of bricks crumbling.

His mates not speaking to him... another section.

His grades slipping... another part of the wall gave way.

He was powerless to stop this. Logically, he knew there had to be a way, but what that way was, he didn't know.

 _"Freak!"_

 _"You're not my friend anymore."_

 _"Maybe you deserved all those bruises!"_

 _"Jerk!"_

 _"Worthless!"_

 _"Dumb!"_

 _"Stupid!"_

 _"Unwanted!"_

 _"Pyromaniac!"_

 _"You are no son of mine._ " His mother's words on the day his father was arrested. Those ones hurt the most.

The voices won't stop. They keep screaming and echoing off of the crumbling walls and even if he covers his ears, the voices don't stop.

Even when he yells and screams and shouts at them to shut the F up, they don't stop.

And he won't admit they're breaking him.

Shay doesn't know if it's because of sleep deprivation, not eating, shock over the letter, or just being deep in thought, but he doesn't even see the stairs ahead of him.

And then he's falling, rolling down the stairs and yelping as the contact formed numerous bruises on his pale skin.

Finally, he makes it to the bottom, cracking his skull against the marble floor.

And then he's gone.

* * *

 _I know Seamus seems a little OOC, but then again, if my life was like Seamus's, I would be out of character too. Please review!_


	9. Dreams of Fire and Memories

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

When Seamus came too, he immediately wished he could just pass out again.

The world was far too bright and far too still and silent. The quiet of this place reminded him of his own home, where the only thing to break the silence was his dad's yelling. He was lying in an uncomfortable bed under some white sheets... actually, everything was white. The floor, the ceiling, the walls, the bedding on the beds, and the sheets surrounding them.

All this white could only mean one thing... Hospital Wing.

"Mr. Finnigan, finally, you're awake!" Madame Pomphry gasped and he was shocked to see her smiling. While a very kind woman, the nurse was stern and rarely grinned at the students except for maybe a small smile at her favorite students. Seamus was sure that he wasn't one of them.

"Um, what happened?" He asked, trying to sit up and wincing in the pain in his back, head, neck, and... well, basically everywhere.

Madam Pomphry pushed him back onto the bed. "I wouldn't try to get up. You took a nasty fall down those stairs."

That's right! He'd been coming back from seeing Myrtle after reading the letter, and he hadn't seen the upcoming stairs. He'd tripped and the last thing he remembered was a horrible crack echoing through the otherwise empty hall and then... nothing.

"Am I alright?" He asked. He felt a dull pain in his entire body, but nothing that suggested broken bones or a concussion or anything. Yet, Shay knew from experience that sometimes you really can't tell when your injuries are worse than they feel.

"You'll be fine. Bed rest is all you really need. That and, well... Seamus, we need to have a talk," she sat down on the end of his bed.

"That doesn't sound good," he muttered.

She smiled softly, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Mr. Finnigan, while I was examining you, I found quite a few worrying scars, many of them hidden by glamour charms. Would you like to tell me about that?"

Seamus sighed. "I got jumped by some Muggle kids over the summer. Not sure why, but that beating definitely left a few marks."

Madame Pomphry nodded, not looking convinced. "What about those?" She gestured to his arm, where three circular scars (healed burns ) stood out plainly.

Seamus shivered. He remembered when his dad had given him those...

 _ ***FLASHBACK***_

" _Boy, get your useless ass down here right now!"_

 _Shay jumped at the sound of his father's shouting and he shuddered in fear before staggering to his feet and descending the stairs._

 _His father was, without a doubt, mad. His posture was tense with his hands balled into fists, ready to come flying at Seamus any second. He had alcohol soaking his shirt and was clenching a bottle by the neck. Red and scrunched up, his face was downright rageful._

 _"Yes, sir?" He whispered, coming to a stop before his father. The fist came out of nowhere._

 _Vision blurry at the edges and dizziness overcoming him, Seamus collapsed to the floor in a world of pain._

 _"D-Dad?" He stuttered, fearfully. He'd had horrible beatings before, but never had so much pain and anger been delivered with one punch._

 _"Shut up!" And then, his dad was kneeling over him, raining blows down on his only son, who had curled into a ball, trying to escape the pain he felt._

 _"Father, stop! Dad! Daddy! Sir, please!" Seamus was begging, something he'd sworn to himself he'd never do because it gave his father satisfaction. But he just wanted it to end. He was using every term for his dad in the book from Daddy to sir, but his father responded to none of them._

 _"Shut your fucking mouth, you freak!"_

 _"Dad, stop, please. It hurts!"_

 _"Good, you worthless son of a bitch!" His dad screamed._

 _Shay, now on his stomach and feeling like his back would break from the force of the blows, looked up and was suprised to see his mother, her eyes beyond horrified and frightened, standing in the doorway._

 _"Momma?" He whimpered, his voice choked with tears. "Please?"_

 _"Shut up!" A sharp kick to the ribs._

 _When Shay returned his gaze to the doorway, his mother had turned her back and was walking away._

 _"Momma! Momma, please!" Seamus was shocked at how young he sounded. He sounded like he was three years old again, begging his mommy to save him from Daddy's yelling and hitting. "Please!"_

 _"Shut up, you worthless piece of trash! No one will save you. You don't deserve to be saved, you little bastard! You deserve to die."_

 _"No," Shay whispered. "Not... true."_

 _Sean cackled. "Not true? If it weren't true, someone would be here to save you, but do you see anyone? No."_

 _"AHHHH!" Shay's horrible scream filled the air as his father burned his exposed forearm with a cigarette, leaving an angry red mark. Two more followed it._

 _"Someone save me," Seamus whispered to no one._

 ** _*FLASHBACK OVER*_**

But to Pomphry, he said, "One of the kids burned me with his cigarette. Bastards; oh, sorry!"

"Normally, I would scold you for that, but I will give you a pass for this," Madame Pomphry mumbled, but Shay still couldn't tell whether or not she believed him. "I will release you tomorrow, but until then, rest and do nothing except rest."

"Yes, Madame Pomphry. Thank you for healing me," Seamus said. Shay was immensely grateful that someone other than himself had healed him, considering no one had since he'd returned home after his second year.

Poppy smiled as she walked into her office. None of the students had ever thanked her for healing their injuries and working out their magical mishaps; Seamus Finnigan had been the first.

But there was something not quite right with that story of his. She couldn't put her finger on it; it seemed perfectly believable, but something about it... wasn't.

And then there was Mr. Thomas.

He'd visited Seamus before there would have been enough time for the rumor to circle the school as if he somehow knew that Shay had gotten hurt. Like an emotional connection.

Dean had sat by his bed until Shay started to stir, ever so slightly, and as he left he begged her not to tell his best mate he'd been there for one reason or another.

There was something strange going on with that little boy that used to come it with more burns and scorch marks than any other student. Something was very wrong indeed.

* * *

 _He was surrounded by flames that licked the walls hungrily and danced towards him menacingly yet so beautifully. He watched as his house crumbled around him into burning ashes until all that was left was the fire and him and the boy._

 _He didn't know the boy. He actually looked a lot like him with shaggy brown hair, pale skin, and a scrawny frame, but this boy didn't have nearly as many scars as he did. Still, his skin was covered in bruises and cuts._

 _"Shay," the boy whimpered._

 _"I'm here, Jamie," Shay coughed as he dragged 'Jamie' out through a doorway just as the doorway caved in, coming this close to smashing the pair._

 _Somewhere along the way towards the front door, Shay tripped over something and went crashing to the floor, bringing Jaime down with him._

 _Crawling on his hands and knees, Shay pulled him and the little boy out the front door, falling down the steps to land on the grass in an exhausted, hurting heap._

 _"They're here! Get me an oxygen tank!" A voice demanded and then, Shay was being lifted onto a stretcher with a mask over his face._

 _"Shay!" A voice cried and Seamus could've sworn it was Dean's voice but his eyes closed and he knew no more._

* * *

Seamus shot up in bed, a sweaty, shivering mess.

Looking out the window, he saw that the sun had begun to peak over the horizon, shining in through the floor to ceiling windows.

It was the morning before Christmas Break began and it was time to get packing.

Back to a life of hell.


	10. Welcome to Hell

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

Shay boarded the Hogwarts Express with a heart full of fear and anxiety. He was going home to a neglectful, substance addicted mother, an abusive father, and a long list of beatings, chores, and other tortures to endure.

He sat by his window and did nothing but stare at the passing scenery as the train rumbled along on the tracks- back towards King's Cross and Seamus's personal hell.

Shaking his head, Shay knew he couldn't think about this anymore. He retrieved his pocket journal from his jacket and clicked the Muggle pen. Then, he began to write.

 _My name is Shay_

 _I live down the street from you_

 _I tell you I'm okay_

 _When really, I wish that you knew_

 _My name is Shay_

 _I live in a house of stone and brick_

 _I sit at crossroads, unsure of which is the right way_

 _I sit here, listening to the clock go tick, tick, tick_

 _My name is Shay_

 _I am fading fast_

 _Wondering if I will make it to my eighteenth birthday_

 _Can I keep up this act?_

 _My name is Shay_

 _I am afraid_

 _Living in a world where I can't even pray_

 _All that's left is to pick up the blade_

 _My name is Shay_

The poem was not the most depressing he'd written, but it was up there. It exposed everything- from his feelings of unsure of whether or not to tell to his recent suicidal thoughts.

Shay wasn't going to fool himself. Suicide was selfish, but then again, he'd been selfless for as long as he could remember, so didn't he deserve to be selfish just this once? It's not like anyone would miss him...

What about Dean? A voice whispered in the back of his mind.

He doesn't care. At least not anymore, Seamus thought.

His life was crumbling all around him and he couldn't stop it. Besides, even if he didn't off himself, his dad would kill him before he turned eighteen, so what was the point in fighting when he knew he would lose the battle?

"Seamus!" A female voice suddenly gasped from the doorway and Shay snapped the book shut, turning to face the person.

It was Hermione Granger, her hair pinned under a winter hat and an electric blue coat hung over her arm.

"What are you doing here?" She blushed, seemingly realizing how stupid that sounded before amending, "I thought you were staying at Hogwarts."

"Changed my mind," Shay lied. "My uncle's visiting and I wanted to see him. Now, I thought you and the others weren't talking to me."

Hermione shook her head. "Okay, Dean wasn't talking to you. Ron waved you over a couple of times, but you ignored him and that kind of drove a wedge between you two. Harry tried to chase you down, but he could never find you and I really only saw you in the library, but I didn't want another detention with Madame Pince if we caused another spectacle in the library."

Shay nodded in agreement with a small smile.

'She's lying. They just don't like you. She's too nice to just walk away without saying hello. It's not because she likes you. Idiot."

Seamus immediately frowned, unsure of whether or not to believe the voice. After all, it did usually help him out and it rarely lied, but sometimes it got in the way of his concentration and always hurt his feelings. And his Aunt Helen, who died in a car crash three years ago, always told him, 'Don't trust the voices in your head, sweetheart. They're usually just lying scumbags.' But then again, Aunt Helen was kind of... out there, I guess, so it all really boiled down to should he trust the voice or his peculiar aunt's advice?

"Seamus? Earth to Seamus?" Snap! Hermione clicked her fingers in front of her face.

Seamus blushed. He'd been so wrapped up in his own thoughts, he'd totally forgotten Hermione was there.

"Sorry. Well, nonetheless, it's nice to talk to you again," Shay said with a fake smile. It was nice to talk to her again, but did she want to talk to him? Probably not.

"You, too. Could I sit here?" Hermione asked, gesturing to the seat across from him.

Shay was honestly shocked. Didn't she want to leave and go back to her better friends? "Sure... if you want to."

"I do," she stated with a kind smile, seating herself.

"Where's Harry and Ron?" He asked. "Usually you're all connected at the hip."

Hermione giggled. "They're staying at Hogwarts. The Weasleys are visiting their son, Charlie, over the summer, so Ron and his siblings are staying at Hogwarts."

Seamus nodded.

"So how's your year so far?" Hermione asked suddenly.

"Great. I'm excited to be going home though to see my mom and my Uncle Carson," Seamus stated, quickly weaving together a foolproof reply. "What about you?"

"Oh, it's been great!" Hermione gushed. "I love all the new classes, especially Magical Theory and..." Hermione continued to speak and Shay tried to keep up with all her words.

"What's your favorite class?" She suddenly asked him after she'd finished telling him about all the work that was required for arithmacy and Ancient Runes.

"Journalism," Shay replied, gesturing with his journal.

"Really? I never pegged you as a writer."

Shay shrugged. "Neither did I until this year. Do you have any plans for winter break?"

"I'm going skiing with my parents again, but this time we're going to Switzerland. We've only ever been to Colorado, so this is really exciting," she said.

"I can imagine," Shay stated.

Hermione looked out the window. "We should be there any time now, so I better go get ready and say goodbye to Neville, Luna, and Dean."

Shay went rigid at the mention of Dean, but Hermione either didn't notice or pretended not to.

"See you after break, Shay," she called as she exited.

Sure enough, the train pulled into the station less than ten minutes later and Shay hopped off.

He flooed home and stumbled out of the fireplace, coughing up ash and cinder.

As he looked up, he immediately froze at the sight before him.

His father, looking frighteningly enraged, was seated in the armchair while his mother sat on the couch, pouring tea into four cups.

And on the couch beside her was the boy from Seamus's dream.

Shay tried to convince himself that that wasn't possible, but the boy had the same shaggy brown hair and thin, short frame like Seamus. He wore a gray shirt that was way too big on him and dark sweatpants that desperately needed a wash.

"Riley," his father snarled. "Why don't you introduce them?"

"Oh, um, Seamus, we never told you this, but your father had a twin brother, who married and had a child. During November, he and his wife passed away in a car accident, leaving their only child to Sean. Seamus, meet James, your cousin and now, legally, your brother. James, meet our son, Seamus," Riley explained.

"Call me Shay," Seamus said. He didn't know why but he felt very comfortable around James, almost as much as he did with Dean and someday, maybe their bond would be just as strong, or stronger, than his bond with Dean.

"Call me Jamie," the boy repied, shyly.

"I need a smoke," his father suddenly growled, practically leaping out of his seat to retrieve a pack of cigarettes from the counter. "You two, go to Seamus's room and don't come out until I call you," he barked and Shay grabbed Jamie's wrist, leading him up the stairs, dragging his trunk behind him.

Shutting the door behind him, he faced a very nervous looking James.

"Is he always like that?"

Shay smiled, grimly. "Yeah. Welcome to hell, Jamie, but don't worry, I'll protect you from the devil."


	11. Brothers and Old Friends

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

Three days passed and Jamie and Shay were closer than ever, more like true brothers than just cousins that lived together due to unfortunate circumstances (Riley's words).

Until the fourth day when the two formed a connection that people rarely find and it was only because of Shay's bravery and loyalty to Jamie that it was made.

Sean came home drunk as hell with whiskey spilled down the front of his shirt and staining it the color of vegetable oil. His jeans were ripped from falling so much and his head had quite a few bruises from crashing into things. Jamie was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He was sitting on the couch, reading his book, because he was the only one home. Shay had earned some money working at a fast food restaurant over the holidays and could afford to buy some groceries that he and Jamie would store in thier room. Since they'd be beaten if they ate anything Riley or Sean bought, it was best to keep the food they bought out of sight of their parents.

Meanwhile, Riley was working late as a waitress and Sean was out drinking at a bar down the street. James was alone in a huge house with nothing to do, being incredible bored as he read his book until...

BANG! "Boy, get-get your ass... in here n-now!"

James yelped and fell off the couch, his book thumping onto the floor and giving away his location.

Footsteps came stomping into the room, and Jamie curled into a small, trembling ball on the floor as a person came storming into the living room.

He was suddenly yanked up off the floor and was shaken, hard, by the strong hands of his uncle.

Sean looked beyond angry and beyond intoxicated. His face was purple with rage and the veins in his temples were ready to burst. His entire face and shirt were drenched with sweat and his breath smelled of booze. Slick with sweat but still strong, he was clenching James's shirt in his fists and shaking him until James was sure he'd puke.

"S-Sean," Jamie stammered in fear. "Please..."

Jamie shut his eyes tight as Sean wound his fist back, dreading the punch that was coming. But it never came.

"Dont you DARE touch him!" And then, Sean was being yanked off of James and thrown to the floor by what seemed to be inhuman strength. Seamus leaped on top of him, pinning his drunken father to the floor with his strength and the force of his glare.

"If you... bloody touch him... again, I will kill you. No regrets," Shay breathed and truth rang in each of his words, frightening both James and Sean.

Sean, getting over his shock, smacked Shay across the face so hard, he fell to the ground and Sean began to beat him, kicking and punching. Seamus had curled into fetal position on the floor in order to protect himself and he was clenching his eyes shut tight in an effort not to cry.

SNAP!

Shay screamed as Sean stepped on his wrist, putting pressure on it until it was bent at an odd angle- a very painful, odd angle.

Sean stumbled away towards his room after that and Shay was crying, tears pouring from his eyes as he cradled his without a doubt broken wrist.

"It-It hurts," Shay whimpered.

"I-I know, Shay, and I'm gonna get help," James told him, beginning to panic as he reached for the phone.

Shay's eyes grew wide in fear. "No, D-Dad, he- he'll hurt us if- if we tell."

"We won't tell, Shay. We'll just tell them you climbed the wrong tree, " James comforted, putting the phone up to his ear.

This did little to calm Seamus, but before the elder could protest, James dialed 911.

"911 operator, what is your emergency?" A cheery, female voice chirped.

"M-My... brother's injured," James stammered.

Seamus finally seemed to calm down and he even smiled when James called him brother.

"On a scale of one to ten, how badly is he hurt?" The operator asked.

"Probably... five, maybe six. His worst injury is a broken wrist and he's covered in bruises," James replied.

"Alright, an ambulance is on the way. Try to keep your brother calm until they arrive."

"Thank you, ma'am." James hung up and a few seconds later, sirens came wailing down their street towards them.

"They're here, Shay," James whispered as a team of paramedics came through the already opened door (Seamus had opened it, and hearing James's cries, had run to his brother's aid while leaving the door wide open).

A man with dark brown hair and a handsome face grabbed Shay's arms while a man with blonde curls and blue eyes grasped Seamus's legs. After the dark haired man counted to three, they heaved Shay (who really wasn't that heavy) onto a stretcher.

While Shay was carried out the door, another paramedic with black hair, about medium length, and kind brown eyes knelt before James.

"Hey, kiddo," he said with a nice smile. "I'm Ian Brown. What's your name?"

"James Finnigan."

"That's a nice name. Well, James, can you tell me how your brother, um-"

"Seamus, but we all call him Shay."

"Okay, then, can you tell me how Shay got injured?" Ian questioned, the smile still in place, but his eyes were serious.

"We were climbing trees in the backyard and Shay put his weight on the wrong branch," James lied, smoothly. Don't tell him about the abuse or Sean will just hurt Shay even more.

"Where are your parents?" Ian looked around the room as if expecting Sean and Riley to jump out from behind a couch or something.

"My mom's at work, and my dad went to party last night, so he's sleeping in his room. I tried to wake him up, but he's dead to the world," James spoke a little fast, but it still sounded believable. James had a talent for lying, no matter how horrible lying was, it was a talent nonetheless.

Ian nodded, not looking totally convinced but he didn't call James out on it. "Alright, we'll take you to the hospital with us and then, call your parents when we get there. Sound good?"

James nodded and he leaped into the ambulance to stand next to Shay, who had his arm in a temporary splint.

"You feeling okay, Shay?" James asked with a slight grin.

Shay nodded, albeit a little weakly. "Thanks to you. If you hadn't called 911, I would still be lying on the floor in pain."

"It was the least I could do since you saved my life today," James stated without thinking. Ian's head snapped up and James thought fast. "From those bullies that live down the street."

Ian didn't look convinced at the lie, but he looked away to talk with another paramedic.

The ambulance came to an abrupt halt and the paramedics opened the doors before hustling Shay off to see a doctor, leaving James to sit in the waiting room.

"Seamus?" A voice gasped from next to him and James looked up.

Standing next to him was a tall, lean boy with dark skin and curly hair cut short. His brown eyes were almost black and wide in suprise at seeing James there. He wore a gray winter jacket with a red and gold scarf and simple blue jeans. In his hand was a sketchbook with a silver cover and behind his ear was a drawing pencil.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were someone else," the boy said with a somewhat disappointed smile. He turned to leave.

"Actually, my brother is named Seamus," James blurted.

The boy froze before slowly turning around. "Shay never mentioned a brother."

"Well, I'm not technically his brother. I'm his cousin, but my parents passed away last month, so I moved in with Shay and his family," James explained. Who was this person anyway? "I'm James, and you?"

"Dean." They shook hands with good natured smiles, but it did nothing to erase the worry in Dean's eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Shay, um, broke his wrist," James said, deciding to try to stray from the explanation of how. No such luck.

"How?"

"We were climbing trees and Shay put his weight on the wrong branch. "

Dean nodded and James wondered why he hadn't asked where their parents had been. Had Shay told him about their abusive father and neglectful mother?

"Why are you here?" James asked.

"My mom works here, and sometimes I come to work with her."

James nodded.

"James, ready to- Dean?" A voice suddenly gasped and James looked over Dean's shoulder to see Seamus Finnigan himself standing there, his arm encased in a orange-red cast.

"Shay!" James ran up and hugged him, careful of his arm. "Are you alright?

"Of course I am; it's just a broken wrist. I've had worse, " Shay laughed. "But what are you doing here?" Shay asked, looking up at Dean.

"My mom works here," Dean said a little stiffly, but there was an undertone of concern when he glanced at Shay's arm.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot," Shay said and there was a moment of silence among the group.

"Um, well, I better get going," Dean said, quickly.

"Yeah, us too," Shay agreed hastily, taking James by the shoulders and leading him out the hospital doors.

"Who was that?" James asked. He knew his name was Dean, but who was he to Seamus?

For a moment, Shay said nothing. And then, he murmured in a trance like state, "Just an old friend, James. Just an old friend."


	12. We don't need Anybody But Us

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

Christmas came very quickly after the hospital incident and Sean was still grumbling about the bill, even though Seamus had started working double, sometimes triple shifts, to pay for it. James honestly didn't understand why Shay felt the need to pay for the bill when his dad was the one that put him in the hospital in the first place, but put it down to fear. The younger got the horrible feeling that he only knew a fraction of the monster that Sean truly was, and Shay probably knew what the man was capable of. And James had grudgingly accepted that because honestly, he was afraid of Sean too, and so he allowed Shay to do what he wanted in order to escape his father's wrath.

Until Christmas Eve night.

Shay had just returned from work (the restaurant Shay worked at was one of the few that was open on holidays, including Christmas Eve and Christmas) when he told James something that made the younger's anger reach its peak.

"What do you mean you're working on Christmas?!" James yelled, glad Riley and Sean weren't home at the moment. "Your boss gives his employees a choice on whether or not they will work, so it's not like you have to!"

"Jamie," Seamus sighed, "I don't want to work on Christmas, but the hospital bill-"

"I don't care!" James roared. "Sean put you in the hospital, so he should have to pay for it! I have gone days, sitting alone in this house while Riley is at work, Sean is drinking who knows where, and you are working at least twelve hours a day! Don't leave me alone on Christmas of all days, Shay! Please."

James was shocked to find tears in his eyes. Truthfully, he wasn't that upset over being left alone on Christmas, but he was upset about being left alone. He felt alone when his Mum and Dad died and then he came here and found out that this place was filled with fear and anger, unlike his love and care filled home. Now, Sean was creating a fear in his elder brother that isolated and exhausted the teenager while his eight year relative had to sit around and watch.

Shay looked honestly shocked at Jamie's outburst. "Tell you what," the older boy said. "I'll work from six to nine and then come home, okay? I'll get around twenty-five dollars and I guess that's better than nothing. But, the day after tomorrow, it's back to working my butt off to pay off that bill before Sean kills me." Seamus tried for a weak smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. James knew that that was a possibility if Sean took it too far.

James suprised himself by embracing Shay. "Why do we have to go through this?" He whispered into Shay's shoulder. "Why do we have to get beaten and starved and work our butts off to please a person that should love us no matter what?"

"I don't know, Jamie. I just don't think know," Shay whispered, tears darling down his cheeks and into James's hair. "But I will always love you, no matter what happens, okay?"

"Okay, Seamus. I love you, too."

* * *

The next day, James woke up late at 10:33 AM and remembering Shay's promise, broke into a run towards the stairs, pounding down them two at a time.

When he spun around the corner into the kitchen, his elder brother was seated at the table with a plate of sausage, pancakes, and hashbrowns in front of him and the chair across from him.

"Shay?" James gasped. "How?"

Shay smiled. "Well, all the employees get a discount on food, so I could afford it and still have enough money to put into paying him back. Now, stop asking questions and dig in," he laughed.

James didn't need to be told twice. He shoveled food into his mouth, loving the taste of the greasy breakfast food on his tongue and the warm feeling it gave him as it slithered down into his stomach. His first true meal since he'd been placed with his uncle and his family.

"Thank you so much," James said, leaping up and throwing his arms around Shay's neck.

Shay laughed and led James into the living room, where a miniature, decorative Christmas tree was sitting on the table, tiny lights and ornaments glinting off the branches. It was perfect.

"A guy from work leant it to me, saying his mom wouldn't miss it," Shay said at James's confused look. "It isn't much, but-"

"Thanks, Shay!" James cried, cutting his brother off as he swung his arms around Shay's neck. "It reminds me of when Mommy and Daddy used to celebrate Christmas with me."

"I'm happy about that, James," Shay said, his voice choked with tears. "I want you to be happy."

"I am happy, Shay. My job is to make sure you're happy to," James whispered before pulling away from the teen. "Um, for my seventh birthday, my dad gave me two lockets and he said that one day he wanted me to give one to someone I love, a best friend maybe. I want to give it to you, Shay." Jamie held out a necklace.

It wasn't much, just a silver necklace with an orange border around the oval charm swinging from the chain. But both of them thought it was beautiful.

"James, I-I can't except this. You should give it to your best friend," Shay said, shock evident in his eyes.

"You are my best friend, Shay."

Tears sprung to the elder's eyes and then, he was sweeping James up in a huge hug because he finally has a family- someone that will love him unconditionally.

Shay put James down, wiping the tears out of his eyes. "Um, I got you something too."

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a similar necklace to the one James gave him, but this one was the shape of a rectangle, like a set of double doors. Shay opened up the locket and showed three slots for pictures. Closing it back up, he showed the words inscribed on the back: for those that love you.

"Shay, it's- it's great," James whispered. "I love it."

He pulled out a small picture from his pocket- the exact size of the slots and slid it into the one on the left.

It was a photo of two people, smiling rightly at the camera. A tall man with square, black rimmed glasses, dark eyes, and brown hair grinned at the camera, dressed in a simple red T-shirt and jeans. Beside him was a woman that came to his chin, her blonde hair falling into her green eyes. She wore a blue dress and in her arms was a baby wrapped in a white blanket.

"Your Mum and Dad?" Shay guessed and James nodded, staring at them longingly.

"James," Shay said, finding it rather hard to get the words out of his throat. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Jamie asked, genuine confused and curious.

"I'm sorry that you lost them and wound up in a family like this," Shay choked out.

"Seamus Finnigan," James stated sternly. "I would take a hundred beatings from Sean if it meant that I didn't have to lose you."

Seamus started crying and he swooped the younger up in another hug because this is the proof he needs. Love is real and he can loved because after Dean abandoned him, he thought he'd never love anyone. But here he is with the person he loves most in the world in his arms.

"I love you, James. Don't ever forget that."

* * *

"So how do I do this again?"

"I can't belive you have never rode a sled before!"

"I've rode a sled. I've just never rode a metal disk down a very steep hill with a possibly crazy person driving it!"

"I've done this a million times. You won't get hurt. I promise."

That seemed to relax James and when Shay felt some of the tension leave his little brother, he kicked off and then, they were sliding down the very steep hill at what Shay felt was the speed of light.

This was the most fun he'd had in a long time.

Finally, they skidded to a halt, snow spraying up and splattering across them in a pure white pattern.

The snow reminded Shay of his life. So innocent for such a short amount of time and would be burned away with the first ray of sunlight. Just like Shay's innocence had only lasted three years before it was burned away in that fire, leaving behind a traumatized shell of what used to be.

"Come on, Shay, can we go again?" Shay was shaken out of his thoughts by James's excited voice and the little boy yanking on his jacket sleeve.

"Sure," Shay chuckled, picking up the homemade sled (it was a garbage can lid with belts as reins) and the brother ran up the hill.

They went down so many times Shay lost count, and when he finally broke out of his fun and excitement, he saw that the sun was beginning to lower beyond the horizon.

What a perfect day. Shay's first.

* * *

Later that night, they were seated before the fireplace, shivering in their pajamas because boy, was it cold that night.

Riley and Sean had yet to return home from Merlin knows where, and the boys were glad about that.

"Shay?" James whispered, tiredly. "Why do Sean and Riley not like us?"

Shay had expected this question would come eventually; he had asked himself that very question some many times in his life. And he still didn't know how to answer it.

"I don't know, James, but that doesn't matter because we don't need anyone else but us."

James nodded, sleepily. "I love you, Shay. "

"I love you, too, little brother. Good night."

* * *

 _I wanted some family time for James and Shay, but this is mostly a filler chapter, so sorry if it doesn't really fit in with the story._


	13. Utter Betrayal and Weakness

_there is some non graphic molestation in this chapter! You have been warned!_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

The next day was the worst day of both of their lives, Seamus's for two reasons and James's for one very good reason.

The day before had been so fun and fantastic Shay thought nothing bad could happen, but something very bad occurred, something that was (in his opinion) worse than any beating. And that thing led to another that scarred Shay and James for life... more than they already were, anyway.

It started when Shay returned home from working at the restaurant down the street, but when he walked inside, guess who stood right in front of him?

You guessed it. Sean Finnigan.

But Sean looked different. His face wasn't set in a scowl or an expression of rage as it usually was, especially when it came to his son. Clean and washed, his clothes looked neat and tidy from his pristine white shirt to his crisp blue jeans right down to his socks, which didn't have a single hole in them.

Something was very, very wrong here.

"Hello, Shay," Sean greeted with a sly grin and Seamus took a step back. Nothing good happens when Sean grins. "Come here, son."

Sean grabbed Shay's wrist and yanked him into the living room, dragging him over to sit on the couch.

"W-Where's James?" Seamus stammered.

Sean chuckled and Shay fought against the tight hold on his hand. "Don't worry, he's in his room, safe and sound."

"I won't believe that until I see it with my own eyes. JAMES! Could you come down here?"

Nothing.

Sean placed a palm over Seamus's mouth. "He's taking a nap. He didn't sleep well, so do your best not to wake him."

Shay was unwillingly pushed onto the sofa and Sean sat beside him, a little to close for Shay's liking.

"Well, Shay, we really haven't got time for just you and me since we got back from either jail or boarding school. I was still dealing with what happened to me in prison, and you were still adjusting to having your father back in your life, so we really haven't gotten time for just you and me like we used to."

Like we used to? What was he talking about? Sean had never been affectionate towards Shay and the fact that he was being kind to him now could only mean one thing: trouble.

"W-What do you mean?" Shay cursed himself when he stuttered.

Sean actually looked hurt and offended. "You mean you don't remember?"

Shay shook his head and turned his head to the side, waiting for the blow that would surely come. But it didn't.

Instead, Sean chuckled. "How cute. Come on, sweetie, I know you can remember."

Sweetie. Oh, Merlin, no.

 ** _*FLASHBACK*_**

 _"Come on, Shay, come here!" His father called in a playful tone of voice._

 _Shay didn't care or even notice that this change of mood was odd; all he knew was that his daddy wanted to spend time with him for the first time in... forever!_

 _He ran over, obediently, and didn't object when Sean lifted him onto his lap,. In fact, he just giggled, his naive mind believing that maybe Daddy would read him a story like Mommy did sometimes, but that was not Sean's plan._

 _"Shay, has anyone ever taught you about good touching and bad touching?"_

 _Shay nodded. The neighbor had taught him that on the many times she babysat him. "Ms. Martin teached me."_

 _Sean smiled. "It's taught, Shay, not teached."_

 _Shay nodded, showing he understood._

 _"Well, guess what? Ms. Martin lied," Sean said._

 _Seamus's eyes widened. "But, lying is bad."_

 _"I agree, and that's why I'm here to tell you the truth," Sean told him. "There is no good touching or bad touching; there's nothing wrong with any kind of touching. And guess what?"_

 _Sean leaned in as if he were telling a secret and Shay's eyes lit up in curiosity._

 _"It actually feels good; you want to make daddy feel good, right?"_

 _Shay nodded, eagerly. Anything to make his daddy happy._

 _He would soon be revoking that decision._

 ** _*FLASHBACK OVER*_**

"NO!" Shay screamed, trying to throw himself off the couch, but Sean growled and gasped his wrist in his much stronger grip.

"Come on, Shay," Sean said, his false sweet smile back in place. "You wouldn't want little Jamie to get hurt, now would you?"

Shay froze. He couldn't let James get hurt; he was his life, his family. How could he let him get hurt by the monster sitting next to him?

Sean placed a hand on his son's knee and started to rub the very uncomfortable teenager's leg. He smirked because this only increased his control over the person beside him and he loved it.

Meanwhile, Shay felt like he was going to be sick. He hated this and he just wanted it to stop, but he knew that if he fought back, Sean would hurt Jamie and he couldn't allow that.

Speaking of Jamie, why hadn't he come downstairs? Surely, he'd heard Shay yelling and James was just as protective of Shay as the elder was of him.

"Wait," Shay mumbled as his father started to kiss his neck. Disgust and shame rippling through him, he stammered, "I-I want to see James first."

"You can see him after," Sean growled in frustration.

"N-No, I wanna see him now, then, you can... do whatever you want with me." Shay nearly puked, but he couldn't find any better way to word that horrible sentence.

Sean rolled his eyes. "Well, guess what? I'm not giving you a choice!"

He reached for the button on Shay's shirt and started to undo them, but by now, Shay was struggling.

He had to find Jamie! What is Sean had hurt him? What if he was unconscious or dead? What if he couldn't move and was scared? Either way, Jamie needed Shay and Shay needed James. He couldn't just sit here while his brother might be scared out of his mind upstairs.

Shay kicked Sean in the ankle and while his dad yelped and rubbed the forming bruise, Shay leapt off of the sofa and made a break for the stairs, screaming Jamie's name and not getting a response.

Sean tackled him from behind and the two of them went crashing to the floor, Seamus kicking and screaming all the way.

Sean held Shay down by his shoulders, but Shay wiggled one arm free and punched his dad in the jaw.

He didn't know why or how, but he just knew that something was wrong with James and he had to get to his little brother. Even if it killed him.

Punch! Kick! Shout!

Father and son were entangled up in a flurry of blows and finally, out of sheer luck, Shay shoved his father to the ground, where the man's skull cracked against the wood.

Sean was only dazed and already started coming around.

Seamus was beginning to go into panic mode. He knew he'd never make it to James and out of the house without getting even more injured or possible killed by his father. His body temperature was rising and sweat was dripping down his face; how was he going to get out of this?

Sean suddenly shouted in terror and made a break for the door, which got a curious stare from Seamus until the boy saw the smoke that was curling around him. Seamus turned and could only stare.

The world was up in flames.


	14. Fire of Fate

_a really short chapter, but a very important one!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

Seamus coughed and stumbled through the smoke filled house, but he was getting nowhere.

He couldn't even see Sean any more through the haze, but he hadn't heard the door open and Sean's footsteps were no longer sounding from over there, which made Seamus's gut twist in fear. He didn't like Sean, but he didn't want him dead, especially killed in a fire Shay may or may not have caused.

But he had bigger problems to worry about. Covering his mouth, Shay bolted up the stairs towards the room of his little brother.

The door was locked, but Shay, filled with adrenaline and the need to get to James, kicked it down easily enough.

Jamie was there, only semi conscious and tied to the bed post, but otherwise unharmed. Shay dove forward and started yanking and biting at the ropes until they broke with a snap, freeing their prisoner.

Shay was growing weaker, but he had to do this for James, so he hauled the boy up and supported him as best he could. Together, the pair ran for the stairs.

Unfortunately, Shay still couldn't see do to the smoke and he tripped on a pair of Sean's shoes (from what he could tell anyway). Shay opened his mouth to curse until he saw a window of opportunity.

Down here, the air was clearer and he could partially see the staircase a few feet away from him. Dragging James behind him, Shay crawled over the staircase and very carefully, began to slide down them until he and James finally arrived at the very bottom.

But all was not over yet. The downstairs was completely engulfed in flames and tongues of red hot fire were reaching towards them.

 _It was so hot and he couldn't breathe. Why hadn't anyone come yet?_

James's head was rolling this way and that and his breathing left his mouth with a painful weeze.

 _"Mom-ma!" He called, weakily. "He... elp."_

The door was only a few yards away, but those yards were blocked by flames.

 _No one was coming; he was all alone._

He grappled for the doorknob, crying as he saw flames dancing towards them.

 _Footsteps. Someone calling his name._

The door swung open and he fell into the unfamiliar arms of a person wearing a yellow and red suit.

 _Someone was picking him up, cradling him in their strong arms._

 _"Dont worry, Shay," the voice of Adam said. "I've got you."_

"Dont worry, kid," the person said. "I've got you, now."

 _And then, everything went black._

And then, everything went black.

* * *

Dean knew something was wrong from the moment he woke up. He couldn't explain it, but his stomach was twisted into knots and he felt strangely hot, like he'd been placed in an oven overnight.

"Mom," he mumbled as he stepped into the kitchen. "Something's wrong."

"I'll say, " his mom agreed. "You're sweating more than I did on evaluation day," she chuckled, slightly nervously.

"Mom, something's wrong with him," the words slipped out before he even knew what they meant.

"Wrong with who, honey?"

"Something's wrong with Seamus," he muttered. "Really, really wrong."

"Tell you what. We'll drive by his house and then, when we get back, you are getting right in bed, Mister. Understood?"

Dean nodded before springing out the door and into the car, fatigue and dizziness washing over him in waves.

His mom hopped in and then, they were off.

Shay lived close to Dean- about half an hour away- and when they got there, Dean's heart stopped dead in his chest.

The house of his best mate was up in flames and smoke curled through the air, choking Dean.

Fire trucks blinked and screamed in the street and police cars and an ambulance were nearby while firemen sprayed the house with a hose.

"My kids are in there!" A woman was screaming. She looked a lot like Seamus with hair only a shade darker than the boy's and she was wearing a garish red dress and glittering high heels. The female woman looked drunk, stumbling around and her words slurred but apparently she was sober enough to recognize the gravity of this situation.

"Shay, James!" Dean screamed in distress and he would've run right into the burning building if not for his mom's hands on his shoulders, restraining him.

Then, a fireman finally yanked open the door and two boys tumbled out, covered in soot and a few burns and bruises. Their clothes were singed and the younger was unconscious, the elder not far behind.

Seamus fell into the arms of the firefighter and another fireman came to take the younger boy to the ambulance. The firefighter lifted Shay into his arms and walked in the direction of the ambulance, where the wizard was laid down on a stretcher and rolled into the vehicle.

Dean and Ms. Thomas didn't need to think. They leapt into their car and followed the screeching ambulance.

* * *

 _a few notes._

 _1) I know the scene is slightly different from Shay's dream a few chapters ago, but I tried to make it more realistic in this chapter than in the dream._

 _2) the italicized parts of the scene are Shay's memories of the fire he was in when he was three_

 _3) Dean does have a kind of emotional connection with Seamus as it is demonstrated in this chapter and in the Hospital Wing chapter. I never really explain it, so you can come up with your own reason for why they have just from their magic to their friendship. I don't care, just know that it's there._

 _Thank you!_


	15. The Aftermath of Hell

_Last chapter! An entire story posted in one day (I did finish it ahead of time, but I'm still proud of myself!)._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

Shay didn't like the quiet. He was usually a loud and garrulous person, and silence scared him because unless Dad was angry, the house was always silent.

"I think he's coming around," an unfamiliar voice broke into his thoughts and Seamus cracked his eyes open to see a man in one of those long white coats with brown hair staring down at him with blue eyes. "How you feeling, kid?"

Shay was about to answer that question when he realized what was missing from the jumbled puzzle in his brain. "Where's James?"

"He's right here," the man gestured to the bed beside him and there lay a scrawny boy with shaggy brown hair and pale skin.

"Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine, thanks to you," the doctor responded. "But I want to know how you feel. Any pain?"

Shay shook his head. All he really felt was exhaustion.

"Are you hungry? Need to use the bathroom?"

Shay shook his head, mutely.

"Well, that's good. On another note, there are two people that would like to see you, and just tell me if you don't wish to see them at this time: Amy and Dean Thomas?"

Shay nodded so quickly that he was afraid he might break his neck and the doctor smiled before nodding in the direction of a female nurse, who left the room.

A moment later, a dark skinned boy came sprinting into the room and then, Shay fond himself in an inescapable embrace.

"Shay, thank God you're alright. I thought you wouldn't be because of the fire and they said there were signs of injury and severe smoke inhalation and-"

Shay cut Dean off by covering his lips with his hand. "I'm okay, Dean. There's no need to get upset over what could've happened."

Dean looked at him, weirdly, but before he could ask his question, a woman that looked very much like Dean and very familiar to Seamus stepped into the hospital room just as the doctors stepped out.

"We have to stop meeting like this," the woman said with a sad smile.

Dean and Seamus stared at her before it clicked for Shay.

"You were that nurse," Shay realized.

The woman grinned, happily this time. "Pleasure to meet you again, Shay Finnigan."

"Wait- you two have met before?" Dean demanded, utterly confused.

Amy Thomas smiled. "I treated Seamus when he was three."

"Oh."

"Hey," Shay suddenly broke in. "Do you know what happened to my mom and dad?"

Dean and Amy exchanged uneasy glances.

"Shay," Dean took a deep breath, "your dad didn't make it out. He slipped and was knocked unconscious, then died of smoke inhalation. And your mom... she's being arrested for child neglect, abuse, endangerment, and abandonment. She won't get out for quite a few years."

Shay didn't know how to feel about this. On one hand, Sean and Riley had never cared for him one bit, but did he really wish them dead or in jail for what could possibly be the rest of their lives?

"Where are James and I gonna go?" Shay whispered.

Dean grinned. "We actually wanted to talk to you about that."

Amy took over. "Shay, I spoke with social services and they agreed that if you and James want to, you can come stay with us."

Shay's jaw dropped. "Y-you really what me there? I won't be too much trouble?"

Amy and Dean shook their heads, chuckling with excitement.

Seamus, not really caring if his next action caused him pain, dove forward and hugged his best friend

"Thank you! I promise I won't be any trouble and I'll take care of James and-"

"Shay," Dean laughed. "We want you there. You don't need to do anything for us. Just be happy, Shay."

Shay shrugged. "I haven't been happy in so long that I've kind of forgotten what it feels like."

"Well," Amy chirped, "we'll be glad to teach you. "

Shay smiled at her, but then, to his astonishment, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Harry, the Weasley twins, Ginny, and Ron came racing in.

"Seamus!" Hermione cheered. "You're okay!" She hugged him, tightly, and soon afterward, he was getting gentle back slaps and embraces from his friends.

It was at that moment that Shay remembered what it was like to be truly happy.

* * *

Life started looking up from then on.

Seamus and James, in an effort to leave the past in the past completely, changed their last name to Thomas and by the time they moved out, they'd almost forgotten that they had once been Finnigans.

James never forgot his late parents; he visited their grave every weekend and on holidays and birthdays.

Shay never forgot his mum and dad either. He visited his mom in prison until she got out thirteen years after the fire, and he'd even started to forgive Sean by placing a red rose on his grave every Saturday. It was small, but it was more than Seamus ever expected to be able to do.

Those scarred little boys grew into strong men with their brother, Dean, by their side and a caring mother to watch over them.

Alas, the tragedies were not over.

Seamus joined the army when he was twenty-one and died in an explosion. James, Riley, Amy, and Dean received letters that Shay wrote and left at the camp site before he died. They were all thanked and forgiven and the death of that little pyromaniac did just what Shay wanted: it made them stronger.

Dean became a foster parent, taking in abused and abandoned kids that had no where else to go while teaching others about child abuse and the signs to watch out for. Because of these lessons, over thirty percent of abused kids at Hogwarts either came forward or were saved from abusive situations and the number climbs more and more by the day.

James started a foundation for abused kids to get them therapy and a safe environment and doctor appointments. The charity has raised over 3,000,000 dollars and more is being donated every day.

Amy worked at a hospital, treating children, mostly abused or neglected, until she retired at age sixty-three.

Riley helped immensely: donating money to the foundation James started (the Seamus Thomas Foundation); babysitting for Dean occasionally; and allowing Amy to cry on her shoulder every time they visit Shay's grave.

Because they all lived to ensure one thing.

Seamus Finnigan would not be forgotten.

* * *

 _just so you know, Dean looked at Shay weirdly in the hospital because Shay had just said something really wise and Shay had never been considered wise before. Just wanted to clear that up._

Goodbye! Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
